New Levant Initiative Commissions Levantine Symphony

An accomplished real estate investment professional, Jamal Daniel is the president and chairman of Crest Investment Company and the founder of independent production company Levantine Films. Jamal Daniel also serves as president and chairman of the New Levant Initiative, a movement that highlights the artistic, architectural, musical, and cultural contributions of the Levant.

The Levant, the area of the Middle East along the eastern Mediterranean, comprises a unique and rich mix of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. In 2018, the Levant Initiative commissioned the Levantine Symphony N°1 to celebrate the vibrant Levant identity through music. The original composition was written by Ibrahim Maalouf, a native of Lebanon who is trained in both western classical music and traditional Arab music.

Performed by the Free Spirit Symphony Orchestra, the performance featured the National Children’s Chorus of the United States. To highlight the unique musical identity of Levantine culture, as well as to encourage a unified future in the region, the symphony incorporated diverse musical elements.

Free Media Pioneer Award Honors Courage in Journalism

An accomplished real estate investment professional, Jamal Daniel serves as chairman of the Levant Foundation, a charitable organization that advances knowledge about the history and culture of the Middle East. Additionally, Jamal Daniel founded news outlet Al-Monitor (www.al-monitor.com) to provide accurate and objective coverage of Middle Eastern current events.

In recognition of its contribution to worldwide journalism, Al-Monitor received the Free Media Pioneer Award from the International Press Institute in 2014. Since 1997, the award has recognized news organizations and journalists who display an unwavering commitment to freedom of the press. Award recipients tell powerful stories to global audiences, upholding the idea that trustworthy, public interest journalism is a vital element in free societies.

In 2019, the Free Media Pioneer award went to Egyptian news site Mada Masr for its investigative coverage of government policies and current events. Published in both English and Arabic, Mada Masr has remained steadfast in its coverage despite Egypt’s highly restrictive media policies.

Levant Foundation Supports Restoration of the Church of the Nativity

The chairman of Crest Investment Company, Jamal Daniel has more than three decades of experience in the areas of real estate, technology, and oil and gas investment. Jamal Daniel is founder of Levantine Films and of the Levant Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes understanding of Middle Eastern Culture.

The Levant Foundation participates in various initiatives to promote understanding among the three great world religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. In 2018, for example, the foundation pledged financial support to the restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a basilica in the West Bank and one of the world’s oldest continually operating sites of worship. Built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century, the church is believed to mark the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Currently, the church is home to clerics from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox churches and the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholic Church. Because several denominations share ownership of the space, restoration efforts are often slowed by territorial claims and negotiations.

The Bruce Springsteen Songs in the Film Blinded by the Light

In addition to his leadership responsibilities with the New Levant Initiative and the Levant Foundation, Jamal Daniel is the founder and chief executive officer of Levantine Films. One of the recent successes of Jamal Daniel and Levantine Films is the film Blinded by the Light.

A 2019 musical drama, Blinded by the Light currently holds an 89 percent favorability rating among critics and a 91 percent favorability rating among the general public on Rotten Tomatoes. Set in the late 1980s, this film tells the story of a British-Pakistani college student who becomes obsessed with the music of Bruce Springsteen.

Much of the power of Blinded by the Light comes from its soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen songs. The film graphically illustrates the emotional impact of Springsteen’s moving lyrics by displaying them on screen around the head of the main character, Javed, as he listens in amazement and admiration. After hearing his first Springsteen song (the relatively poppy Dancing in the Dark), Javed begins to steadily gravitate toward grittier Springsteen fare from the 1970s, including Prove It All Night and The Promised Land.