VANCOUVER — If you thought the ukulele was mainly a Hawaiian phenomenon, think again.

The small, guitar-like instrument has enjoyed a small renaissance in Canada and Israel in recent years, and the Edmonton Ukulele Fest is a prime example.

According to organizer, Mark Hayes, the festival, which is hoped to become an annual event, began as a joke between friends and evolved into a fundraiser for Ukuleles for Peace, a non-profit group in Israel. The festival will be held Sept. 11 at 10081 Jasper Ave. featuring a selection of musicians that includes Doug Hoyer of Illfit Outfit, Alena Manera, and The Be Arthurs. Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is by donation.

Paul Moore, 58, hadn’t heard of the Edmonton Ukulele Fest until contacted by e-mail in early September. The founder of the five-year-old Ukuleles For Peace (UFP, on the web at www.ukulelesforpeace.com), the British-born Moore moved to Israel several years ago and spends his time growing apples and playing music with groups such as the Jerusalem Travelers and Organic Energy, and in solo acts.

He considered leaving Israel when the suicide bombings increased in frequency, but he changed his mind when he determined that the simple ukulele could be a tool to allow Jewish and Arab children to meet in a positive way.

So he volunteered to teach the ukulele in the Democratic School in Hod Hasharon, a Jewish town, and the El Najach school in nearby Tira, an Israeli Arab town, on a weekly basis, involving some 100 children. He also created the UFP orchestra, comprising 10 to 15 children from both schools who meet to practise and perform on community holidays in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

“Before the Ukuleles for Peace program was introduced, there were virtually no communal or social ties between the communities of Tira and Hod Hasharon,” he notes on his website.

“Since the start of the program, however, contacts between the two have begun to develop on a number of levels. At the most fundamental level is the orchestra itself. The children and some parents meet to rehearse and travel to performances together. Here, the children in particular began to form friendships, which lead to birthday party invitations, playdates and other social outings. The orchestra has held several picnics at which families have begun to interact and get to know one another.

“The only reason I see hope is because I see the kids working together,” Moore says. “The people in the middle ground have got to get out there and make peace happen. It ain’t gonna happen if we sit by and say we’re all peace-loving people – without talking to one another. It’s about sharing in one another’s happy moments and tragedies. You’re fusing the communities.”