Canadian singer songwriter Evan Malach won an international Hallelujah music competition.
Malach, 27, sang the Israeli rock classic “Canaanite Blues” before a live audience in Hod Hasharon. The 14 finalists performed personally selected Hebrew songs.
Malach won an $8,000 prize and will be invited to record a duet with Israeli singer Dudu Fisher. The song will be distributed to Jewish radio stations throughout the world. He will also go on tour, singing in Jewish venues around the world.
The contest’s 30 entrants had spent three weeks in Israel touring and performing.
Courtney Simons of New York finished in second place and won $4,000. Polina Zizak of Russia was third, winning $2,000.
Last year’s winner, Mexican singer and distant cousin of David Ben-Gurion Adam Kleinberg—who made aliyah earlier this year—concluded the evening with Meir Banai’s “Geshem” (Rain). What followed was the rainiest year in recent Israeli history.
Looking forward to a year drenched with sad Canaanites…
JTA content was used in this report.