East to West World Music

with Eitan Battat (S4 | E155)

Opening Music: MFSB (as always), the signature sound of East to West.

Intro (Violet Ruth Battat)

“Couple of days ago was very memorable. It was the birthday of my late mom Violet Ruth Battat who passed away over 25 years ago. Her influence on me and my family continues and will live forever. My mom is responsible for giving me my passion and love for radio. 

I was only eight or nine years old when I used to accompanied my mother to the radio station at the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. She did not have a babysitter sbd it was convenient to take me along to her work. She placed me in the next studio while she is recording her wonderful and most popular Radio shows. I was bored. It was mostly evening time, and I visited all the empty studios and sat behind the microphone pretending to be a radio announcer DJ so to speak. That was my game. I played and mimic other people who I knew from radio programs, trying to pass the time as my mom was still recording her programs. 

My sister says that my mom struggled to ultimately find her position and her voice at Israeli broadcasting authority. She was truly a success story. A woman who started at the bottom of the IBA and worked herself all the way to become one of the most popular announcers and broadcaster in the Middle East in the mid 70s. 

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my mom and miss her. Her cooking, her food,  her voice, her passion, and her generosity. 

I wish she could just listen to me right now talking about her on this radio station WERB 107.5.

I am certain she would find something to correct in my program and make it better and better because she was a perfectionist. 

I remember one time I stayed.  I don’t know half an hour extra, waiting for my mom. She was just correcting one little tiny section of her broadcast that did not sound perfectly. 

Her sudden passing in 1998 left all of us in shock and dismay and because she was so popular in the Arab world and Jewish world, many Arabs, as well as Jews attended her funeral. 

Three years ago exactly during this time , I was in Asheville, NC and I broadcasted for the first time live over an FM station WPVM. I made the program a tribute to my mom, my first live broadcast. If you interested, you can read more about it our website.werbradio.com. 

I miss you mom. You are a woman of valor. Wise, beautiful, with a generous a generous soul.“

If you have a request or want to call in during the show you can reach Eitan here: Eitan Battat