Album in tribute to the October 7 victims
"Music heals. Dance heals. And the constructive expression of anger heals," says Loolwa Khazzoom.
Iraqis in Pajamas, an American alternative rock band with songs in English, Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew has released a new album, Til You Can Dance Again, in tribute to the victims of the October 7 massacre.
The album includes the songs Dear Hostages – described as a love song to those held in captivity and Til You Can Dance Again, a spin on the Israeli promise “We will dance again” – which was intended to help uplift those shattered by the massacre.
The band’s frontwoman Loolwa Khazzoom told The AJN, “This album is my collection of my love songs to the Jewish people … It is filled with raw and searing pain yet also defiance, freedom, and joy. I had shut down in solidarity with the victims of October 7. How could I dance, I felt, when there were hostages underground? How could I sing, when the world wouldn’t even acknowledge the brutality of the assault, in particular, against the girls and women? … And I realised that Hamas wanted Jews around the world to crumble, to be completely distraught and destroyed, right along with all the victims of October 7.
“And that in turn made me realise that dancing and being our most extravagantly joyful Jewish selves is the most radical act of defiance and solidarity, power, and freedom.”
Khazzoom adds, “Music heals. Dance heals. And the constructive expression of anger heals. I want people to have a healthy outlet for their rage and to combine that with their joy and to send all of that powerful groundswell in their hearts to the victims of October 7, with prayers for their healing and uplifting and transforming.”
Khazzoom is a writer and the founder of the Jewish Multicultural Project, which provides educational resources to Jewish communities about diversity in Jewish culture and tradition, she is also the editor of The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage.
To listen to the album visit https://iraqisinpajamas.bandcamp.com/album/til-you-can-dance-again
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