“It was strange for me that I have to clarify my position that I denounce murder and the horrible acts that happened on October 7,” says Valerie Hamaty. “To be in a place where you have to prove your innocence when you have done nothing wrong makes you wonder if you belong.”

Valerie Hamaty is a Tel Aviv Yafo born musician and actress of Middle Eastern descent who is devoted to blending traditional Middle Eastern music with contemporary styles. She has earned international recognition for her mastery of the oud, a classic Middle Eastern string instrument.

In this episode of Song of Hope, Hamaty speaks about identity, belonging and the questions the war forces into the open. She shares the hope she finds in singing in Arabic, and performs Pe’er Tasi’s “Until After Eternity,” a song that has accompanied her throughout the war and reflects her own personal loss.
Written by songwriter Eytan Darmon, the piece is a woman’s monologue addressed to someone who has passed away, and the narrator draws hope from imagining their reunion in the world to come.