From nightclubs in Tel Aviv to secret underground parties in Tehran, Israelis and Iranians alike go wild when the DJ plays her hit "Beegharar," or "Restless" ... Rita's fans within Iran ... use tricky software to furtively download her songs online. Bootleg CD sellers in ... Tehran's old bazaar wrap her albums in unmarked packages ... "don't mention Israel. Just say music by 'Rita Khanum'" ... Rita has emerged as an unexpected bond between ordinary Iranians and Israelis—part cultural ambassador, part antiwar spokeswoman ... "These days, people only know the language of war and violence and hatred," said Rita ... Iranian fans responded overwhelmingly, bombarding her with emails and messages online. "Rita, I want one of these concerts in Iran. You have an amazing voice and you are another pride for Iran," wrote an Iranian fan ... Fars News Agency ... wrote last July that Rita is Israel's "latest plot in a soft war" ... "Listen, I'm not Persian," said Meir Kanto, a 72-year-old [Israeli] farmer. "But the culture is so colorful and so beautiful, from my perspective, let them conquer us. It wouldn't hurt." In Tehran, guests at a recent engagement party jumped to their feet shimmying their hips and shoulders when Rita's voice echoed from the speakers ... "She is singing from her heart. So what if she is from Israel?" said Manijeh, a 43-year-old ... "We love her." (Video-->) >>>
At the moment, the above post doesn't seem to show the link to the article/video, so here it is:
//online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303879604577412374049043222.html
And this is not of much significance, but I've heard that Rita's mother is a sister of Shahnaz Tehrani (famous Iranian actress), though Ms. Tehrani is not of Jewish descent.