Idan Amedi spoke to Rudaw's Hevidar Zana on his career as a singer and actor, as well as his Kurdish roots.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Idan Amedi is known to many as a regular in Fauda, the hit Israeli Netflix series which has taken the world by storm. What may be lesser known is his connections to the Kurdistan Region.
Amedi, 32, was born and raised in the Kurdish quarter of Jerusalem, where he says he was often reminded of his roots.
“As a child I didn’t understand the meaning, but in places around the market I would see Amedi, Zakho, and Duhok. When I got older they told me about the land and the Kurdish people," he told Rudaw’s Hividar Zana earlier this month.
“Everywhere I go in Israel, I say that I’m Kurdish — and I’m proud of it.”
Amedi is one of an estimated 200,000 Kurdish Jews in Israel, most of whom live in Jerusalem. His paternal grandfather left the Kurdistan Region for then-Mandatory Palestine in 1926. His mother’s family, like many others, left the Region for Israel in the 1950s.
The singer placed second in the 2010 season of talent show Kachav Nolad, kickstarting a prolific musical career. Listening to Kurdish music from a young age, he ends each concert with a Kurdish song in homage to his roots.
The singer says he hopes to perform one day in Amedi.
“We tried to do it a few years ago and it was a bit of a problem. It’s really a dream. I hope it will happen in the future,” he added.
His musical success landed him the role playing Sagi in Fauda, a popular series centered on a covert Israeli intelligence unit operating in the West Bank and Gaza. Series creator and lead actor Lior Raz encouraged him to audition after attending one of his concerts, catapulting Amedi into the international spotlight.
Amedi described his foray into acting as “one of the most difficult things I have done,” but confirmed he would be returning for season 4 of Fauda - currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a mix of luck and God’s help,” he said of his career. “I never thought my life would go this way.”
Despite never having visited the Region, Amedi says he takes an active interest in Kurdistan, and spoke of a vibrant Kurdish community in Israel.
“We gather once a year to dance, listen to Kurdish music and try to be more connected. I hope the younger people will keep this tradition.”
Kurdish Jews in Israel still maintain ties to the Region, he added.
“There is a Facebook group that always brings us news from Kurdistan and what is going on in the region. We also try to take our government and tell them about the situation, and change something here in our community.”
Interview by Hevidar Zana
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