Music, testimony, and emotional engagement in alternative memorial ceremonies in Palestine-Israel

Each April since 2006, more than 2,500 Palestinians and Israelis convene at the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv to attend the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony (IPMDC), which is coordinated by the Palestinian-Israeli NGO, Combatants for Peace. This chapter interrogates the role of alternative forms of memorialisation through local and informal events in a context of intractable conflict, and how these can create different paths to dialogue and acknowledgement within divided communities. The IPMDC is unique as it provides an alternative service that is held before the Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism. This chapter reflects on three aspects of the IPMDC: 1. The political and social significance of the Memorial Day; 2. The ways that the day functions as a microcosm of dialogue, and 3. The use of culture and testimonies as platforms for informal memory practices. In doing so, it shows how the IPMDC draws on musical engagement to incorporate song, poetry, and dance to reflect on loss and the possibility to explore empathy and trust.