Turkish singer Mehmet Dash will return to Israel this week to perform at the Jerusalem East and West Festival, held at the Sultan's Pool under the Jerusalem East and West Orchestra and conducted by Tom Cohen. In an interview with N12 ahead of the show, he said his repeated visits have created a deep personal bond with Israeli audiences built over more than a decade.
Dash said he first came to Israel about 13 years ago with Turkish musician and composer Mumin Sesler. “He took me from Istanbul,” he recalled. “We did three shows with Omer Adam, and that is how it all started.” Since then, he has performed regularly in Israel, including private events and weddings. He said his first trips worried both him and his family, and his father accompanied him on the first two visits before relaxing after seeing the reception.
According to Dash, the relationship with Israeli fans has grown far beyond work. He said he formed “very dear friendships, almost like family,” and no longer felt like a stranger in the country. “I am excited to come to Israel every time,” he said, adding that he feels great affection from the audience and arrives with “more joy and more passion” each time.
Asked whether tensions between Israel and Turkey ever affected his willingness to come, he said no. “At the end of the day, we know how to sing songs. We are not people who deal with politics,” he said. “We are musicians, we work in art.” He added that he had never heard objections in Turkey to his Israel shows and that many people there know Israelis have attended his concerts. Dash, who began as a child prodigy and appeared on Turkish television as a boy, said he spent “half” of his adolescence performing in Israel and has been coming regularly since 2013. He said he and his team are preparing new material for the festival and wants relations to continue “beautifully, in joy and in peace.”
