Many years ago, I had the great honor of 4 days of small-group learning with Yossi Klein-HaLevi, the activist-journalist whose current podcast on the war in Israel should be required listening. Just a couple of years after the Second Intifada, he chose to use music as the basis of his teaching on Israel, providing each of us with three “mix CDs.” It is to my deep sadness that those three CDs, and their extensive liner notes, have been lost to the vagaries of time and two cross-country moves. But, in addition to some still favorite songs, I learned from him the ways in which Israeli music–like other Israeli culture–expresses the hopes and fears of the moment, perhaps more immediately than any other form of culture.
Take, for example, the story of this year’s Eurovision contestant–Eden Golan. The song with which she won Israel’s competition was entitled October Rain, and its lyrics make clear that it is a response to the October 7 attacks. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, found its message a “bit problematic,” and so Golan worked on finding changes that felt true enough to the original. Eventually, the reworked song entitled Hurricane was accepted into the festival where, despite significant harassment, she received the second-highest tally in the public vote. Based on the rules of the competition, her totals led her to an overall 5th place finish. Upon returning to Israel, she performed the original October Rain, with its original lyrics, to a crowd gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv; she dedicated the performance to the hostages and their families.
Some months ago, Dr. Tali Tadmor wrote about what I call “sad Israeli music,” and she more appropriately calls Shirei Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day songs. She even made a playlist for us. These are the songs that Israeli radio plays on Memorial Day, and songs I heard a lot of during my year in Israel during the Second Intifada, as they tend to be played after terrorist attacks as well.
I listened to Israel radio for weeks after October 7, needing to feel that connection–the Hebrew and the sadness, and the hope. If you want to feel that as well, here is a playlist I recommend, put together by Noah Efron, the co-host of the Promised Podcast.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer