For 27-year-old Jalal I. Akel Jr, a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, music became a source of respite and personal exploration amid the repeated phases of violence and unrest against his community growing up. Jalal recently released an album under his artist name Jahlayal in dedication to his Palestinian roots and spirituality with the hopes of spreading “healing” in the middle of Israel’s brutal war in Gaza that has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians. “When I say I am the Earth and the water [in the album], I speak of our deep connection to the land of Palestine” He presents music in…