Neta Weiner arrived in Boston in early 2024, carrying the emotional weight of a time marked by heartbreak and rising tension. Together with his creative partner and wife, Stav Marin, and their young daughter, they came from Israel as artists whose work has always grappled with rupture, protest against injustice, and the search for a new kind of home rooted in shared existence. Their arrival in Boston marked a turning point in that journey. Here, they found collaborators, fresh perspectives, and creative possibilities they had never encountered before.

Now, Neta is a 2024-2025 CJP x JArts/Vilna Shul Community Creative Fellow whose authentic approach to unpacking the tension in the Middle East comes through in every word and note—a hip-hop artist who wanders with an accordion.

Neta will be among the impressive lineup for the first WBUR Festival, the first major festival of its kind in Boston. Alongside Ina Garten, Ira Glass, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and many others, Neta will share his unique hip-hop accordion style with audiences from across the city.

As we approach the show, the video above introduces Neta and explains why his role as a Community Creative Fellow matters so deeply to him.

What have your experiences in Boston over the past 18 months taught you about Jewish culture and community?

I was born on a kibbutz and later lived in a boarding school in Jerusalem, but most of my life has been shaped by the mixed city of Jaffa. My time in Boston over the past year-and-a-half—through performances, conversations, and lectures in universities, synagogues, theaters, and festivals—has profoundly impacted my understanding of community. As Jews, I believe we have a responsibility not to look away and not to stay silent in the face of suffering, even when it’s not our own. And as Jewish artists, we carry an obligation to speak out against injustice and atrocities—not only those committed against us but also those carried out in our name. For years, I’ve heard the phrase “music builds bridges,” but the truth is, bridges aren’t enough. What we need is to build an entirely new home.

Boston has become a special place for you. Why? What makes this place home?

Over the past year-and-a-half, I’ve been on an emergency performance tour with my Palestinian and Jewish partners. It began in shared cities like Akko, Haifa, and Jaffa and expanded to New York, Maine, Arizona, Germany, and Austria. During this journey, Boston became a new kind of home for me. Here, I found vibrant and powerful communities of artists and activists—gifts of inspiration and solidarity. I discovered that the fractures, the rage, and the pain were present in every room and conversation. And yet, it is precisely through those raw and honest encounters that something transformative can begin.

When people come to your show, what do you hope they’ll feel when they walk away?

Through the JArts fellowship, I’ve found brothers and sisters with whom I’ve built a new musical ensemble. Our music blends our shared sources of inspiration at the intersection of klezmer, hip-hop, spoken word, and cabaret. The lyrics alternate between Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, and English. The music is a space for mutual release—not only of rage but also of joy rooted in solidarity and collective responsibility. We call this genre “klez-hop.”

Follow Neta Weiner on Instagram.

Neta Weiner is part of the 2024-2025 CJP and JArts Community Creative Fellowship, a program dedicated to elevating local creators who transform Jewish life through storytelling, music and art. Now in its fifth year, the fellowship highlights diverse voices and traditions, expanding the contemporary Jewish canon with work that resonates deeply with Greater Boston’s communities. Learn more about this year’s cohort.

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