Source: Shir Ad
The Shir-Ad Association is a voluntary non-profit organization whose primary goal is the preserving and promoting social-cultural and educational Zionist values from the founding generation to the 1980s and instilling these values to younger generations, before they disappear from Israeli culture and become a thing of the past. All this, in order to strengthen young Israelis' bond with their country and raise their awareness to the importance of the role they should play in designing the future of Israel and Israeli society. It follows the footsteps of The Association for Hebrew Song Legacy, founded by composer and Israel Prize winner Nahum Hayman. Shir Ad runs a Youtube channel and a website for the benefit of the public which serve as sources of information and collections of classical Israeli folk music, to promote Hebrew songs as well as their values, their legacy and the history reflected in them.
Shir Ad functions in the following areas:
- Education - Exposing Israeli pupils to Hebrew songs as part of the program of the Ministry of Education by implementing a program that will teach history, language and music through Hebrew songs; Holding concerts and lectures for youth in non-formal education systems.
- Renewal - Reviving forgotten treasures of Hebrew singing, by recording up-to-date versions; Recording works that have never been recorded to date.
- Preservation - Converting decaying original recordings of material mostly written during the pre-state years into modern formats; Publishing CDs which will include history, background stories and photos of the artists and their work. Producing video clips on Youtube to allow free public access.
- Social Involvement – Producing musical shows and public lectures for the public especially Israeli youth in informal youth frameworks.
Shir Ad has already released over a hundred musical videos on their Youtube channel including lyrics, information about the creators, and additional historical information.