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LEADERSHIP
Yoni Avital
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Manager | Co-Founder
Vocals, Flute, Guitar
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Yoni Avital spent his formative years growing up both in Israel and in New York City. A singer, musician, cantor and dynamic leader, Yoni continues to bring vitality to communities in Israel and across the world. His world travels have led him to performances across India, Nepal, Australia, Southeast Asia, Central, North and South America, and Europe.
Amongst other notable artists, he has shared the stage with Matisyahu and David Broza and has collaborated with predominant organizations such as The Jewish Agency, WZO, The JDC, Taglit-Birthright Israel, the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and was the director of music at Camp Ramah in the Poconos.
A grandson of Rabbi Abraham I. Feldbin of Brooklyn, New York, Yoni's roots come from a mixture of both sephardic and ashkenazi backgrounds as well as a rich lineage of artists, musicians, cantors and rabbis. His mother's family immigrated to the United States from the cities of Slonim and Minsk in Belarus in the early 20th century and his father's emigrated from Casablanca, Morocco to Israel in the mid-1950's.
As an avid cyclist that has cycled across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Israel, his belief in the importance of tikun olam (repairing the world) inspired him to establish Ride4Food, an organization whose mission is to raise funds to the needy through cycling the globe.
Yoni holds degrees in psychology and music from Rutgers University and is a graduate of The University of Haifa's International Executive MBA Program. Having returned to Israel in 2008, Yoni now resides in Kibbutz Ga'aton situated in the beautiful and serene landscape of the Western Galilee of northern Israel.
Along with managing and performing with The Shuk, Yoni is also the international director of one of Israel's leading modern dance companies, The Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company.
Yoni’s belief in the importance of cultural identity, pluralism, and music's immense capacity to bring people of all backgrounds together, led him to establish The Shuk together with Ami Yares.
Vocals, Flute, Guitar
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Yoni Avital spent his formative years growing up both in Israel and in New York City. A singer, musician, cantor and dynamic leader, Yoni continues to bring vitality to communities in Israel and across the world. His world travels have led him to performances across India, Nepal, Australia, Southeast Asia, Central, North and South America, and Europe.
Amongst other notable artists, he has shared the stage with Matisyahu and David Broza and has collaborated with predominant organizations such as The Jewish Agency, WZO, The JDC, Taglit-Birthright Israel, the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and was the director of music at Camp Ramah in the Poconos.
A grandson of Rabbi Abraham I. Feldbin of Brooklyn, New York, Yoni's roots come from a mixture of both sephardic and ashkenazi backgrounds as well as a rich lineage of artists, musicians, cantors and rabbis. His mother's family immigrated to the United States from the cities of Slonim and Minsk in Belarus in the early 20th century and his father's emigrated from Casablanca, Morocco to Israel in the mid-1950's.
As an avid cyclist that has cycled across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Israel, his belief in the importance of tikun olam (repairing the world) inspired him to establish Ride4Food, an organization whose mission is to raise funds to the needy through cycling the globe.
Yoni holds degrees in psychology and music from Rutgers University and is a graduate of The University of Haifa's International Executive MBA Program. Having returned to Israel in 2008, Yoni now resides in Kibbutz Ga'aton situated in the beautiful and serene landscape of the Western Galilee of northern Israel.
Along with managing and performing with The Shuk, Yoni is also the international director of one of Israel's leading modern dance companies, The Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company.
Yoni’s belief in the importance of cultural identity, pluralism, and music's immense capacity to bring people of all backgrounds together, led him to establish The Shuk together with Ami Yares.
Ami Yares
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Programming & Education | Co-Founder
Guitar, Oud, Banjo, Vocals
Music has proven to be Ami's calling and subsequently, has studied and performed all over the world. At Rutgers University, Ami double majored in Music and Jewish Studies. His research focused on the connection between identity (both collective and individual) and music. Ami performed with the RU Salsa Band and traveled to the Dominican Republic to perform and research with ethnomusicologist, Dr. Nanette de Jong. He also studied the musical traditions of Mali and the Caribbean under De Jong's supervision. Under the auspices of Dr. Yael Zerubavel and Dr. Mark Kligman, Ami wrote an Honors thesis entitled, ‘the Iraqi Jewish Musical Tradition.’ After college, he taught at the Riverview School of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a school for learning disabled teenagers. For the first time in the school’s fifty year history, he designed an ethnomusicology program that forged music and history together in an interactive manner.
Guitar, Oud, Banjo, Vocals
Ami Yares hails from Southern New Jersey. His full name, Ami Chai, means ‘my people live’ in Hebrew. Needless to say, it was not the easiest of names for non-Hebrew speakers to pronounce in the Jersey suburbs. Growing up with such a unique name proved to be a wonderful, but challenging gift, creating a constant dialogue and connection with his roots.
Ami’s parents raised him in a Conservative Jewish home, observing Shabbat and constantly being encouraged to learn about his heritage. He attended public school and experienced a vibrant and diverse cultural education. Ami’s family’s roots are Sephardic. His last name, Yares, has been traced back to Spanish ancestry and his mother’s family traces their ancestry back to Greece. Over the years, the traditions and customs were lost and for more than 100 years, his family followed the Ashkenazic Jewish tradition.
Music has proven to be Ami's calling and subsequently, has studied and performed all over the world. At Rutgers University, Ami double majored in Music and Jewish Studies. His research focused on the connection between identity (both collective and individual) and music. Ami performed with the RU Salsa Band and traveled to the Dominican Republic to perform and research with ethnomusicologist, Dr. Nanette de Jong. He also studied the musical traditions of Mali and the Caribbean under De Jong's supervision. Under the auspices of Dr. Yael Zerubavel and Dr. Mark Kligman, Ami wrote an Honors thesis entitled, ‘the Iraqi Jewish Musical Tradition.’ After college, he taught at the Riverview School of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a school for learning disabled teenagers. For the first time in the school’s fifty year history, he designed an ethnomusicology program that forged music and history together in an interactive manner.
In Israel, Ami studied Middle Eastern, Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin music with two incredible teachers. In Yafo, Ami studied with Yair Dalal, one of the world’s preeminent innovators of traditional Middle Eastern music. He also studied with Muhammed Abu Ajaj, an expert in Bedouin music.
Ami also writes his own music and can be found performing all over Israel with his America-influenced band ‘HOLLER!’ as well solo. He also is the Israeli Project Coordinator for HEARTBEAT, working with Jewish and Arab youth on joint music projects.
Today, you can find Ami living in Jaffa, Tel Aviv’s Southern sister city.
Today, you can find Ami living in Jaffa, Tel Aviv’s Southern sister city.
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