Hip-hop violinist to be honored in Israel

JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Israeli musician Miri Ben-Ari, dubbed "the hip-hop violinist," is to be honored with the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Israeli Award in Jerusalem.

The prize will be presented to the Grammy Award-winning performer at a ceremony

presided over by Israeli President Shimon Peres, Mirimode Productions LLC announced Monday.

Ben-Ari is being recognized for her outreach to the African-American community, particularly through her song and video "Symphony of Brotherhood."

The Fellowship of Israel and Black America ceremony is slated to take place Tuesday in Jerusalem. Other award recipients are Peres, the Rev. Kenneth James Flowers and the U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones.

FIBA is working to mobilize 2.8 million Black American Christians to support the State of Israel and to establish in Jerusalem The Martin Luther King Center and Memorial, a research and training facility designed to connect the Ethiopian community in Israel to the African-American community.

"Being a third generation to Holocaust survivors, I have always believed in the fight against racism," Ben-Ari said in a statement.