As rockets were falling on Israel in October 2023, Leat Sabbah sought refuge in her private bomb shelter, and composed “Thoughts of Peace.” Leat is a virtuoso cellist turned worshiper, who traded a New York City career of a classical solo cellist for an Israel destiny and a call to praise. “Thoughts of Peace” deals with the contrast between the difficulty of life, and the profound hope in God's promises. The music weaves the sounds of the artist's Americana and Middle-Eastern backgrounds, and the lyrics are from the book of Jeremiah and 1 Peter.
... Read More As rockets were falling on Israel in October 2023, Leat Sabbah sought refuge in her private bomb shelter, and composed “Thoughts of Peace.” Leat is a virtuoso cellist turned worshiper, who traded a New York City career of a classical solo cellist for an Israel destiny and a call to praise. “Thoughts of Peace” deals with the contrast between the difficulty of life, and the profound hope in God's promises. The music weaves the sounds of the artist's Americana and Middle-Eastern backgrounds, and the lyrics are from the book of Jeremiah and 1 Peter.
Seeking the sounds of peace through collaboration, Leat is Artistic Director and musical arranger of the Galilee Ensemble, a group of Jewish and Arab musicians from the Galilee creating a new language with the blending of their western and eastern musical backgrounds. They perform at major Israeli festivals and Leat regularly interviews on the national radio. She’s formed collaborations in the Israeli worship music scene with groups like Miqedem, and in the world music scene with artists such as Shye Ben-Tzur with Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead), Mark Eliyahu and the middle-eastern diva Shefita. Leat released her first solo album “Music in the Quiet Room” in March 2020, a worshipful instrumental album with Nazarene pianist Adeeb Sakhnini.
Leat is set to release her second album of original songs, titled “Reborn”, in Spring 2024.
In early 2023, Leat traveled to Turkey to volunteer to help with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, and had the opportunity to minister to locals and to uplift them in song. The troubled relationship between Turkey and Israel could have led to safety concerns, yet Leat says “If my neighbor is devastated and crying for help, will I not do whatever I can to help them? I have music, and music helps."
Leat thought she was returning to a peaceful Israel, but on October 7th 2023, Hamas attacked, massacring civilians and coating Israel with rockets. Today, the war continues, and the rockets have not ceased. However, Leat finds comfort in the words of scripture, particularly the passage from Jeremiah that serves as the basis for the song. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
She explains, “I love how God expresses His heart for each one of us. The song first deals with the promises for the individual, and the bridge of the song addresses God’s promises for the corporal. In Israel, we needed to hear these words, individually, and as a nation.”
Leat Sabbah warmly extends an invitation for interviews, providing further insights into her story, the story behind "Thoughts of Peace", and what life is like in Israel for an up-and-coming artist during the war between Hamas and Israel.
