The musical group Sfatayim was founded thirty years ago in the southern city of Sderot. Its music – a mixture of rock and traditional Moroccan melodies – helped introduce authentic Moroccan music to the Israeli public. The band's great success paved the way for similar Israeli performers.
Based on the friendly relations between the Embassy of the State of Israel in Croatia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Croatia, a joint project was initiated to introduce the Moroccan Jewish community to the Croatian public. A central part of this initiative was bringing Sfatayim from Israel to Croatia for the first time. The group held two very successful concerts in the cities of Samobor and Varaždin.
The band's founder and leader, Haim Uliel, was quoted in an interview with the Croatia weekly Express (July 22) as saying that "We had mistakenly thought that the Croats were a somewhat cold people. They welcomed us very warmly. During the concerts, they applauded, danced, and were very happy. It wasn't exactly like a Moroccan wedding in Israel, but it wasn't very far from that either. We were pleasantly surprised."
Ilan Mor, the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Croatia, sees this project and cooperation with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco as a unique one, which symbolizes that culture has no borders. "I am very happy that the Croatian music audience could witness firsthand this unique experience of how music brings people closer," said the Ambassador, who thanked his friend, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, for her friendship and cooperation.