Oh Dear God, please be with the hostages and their families. Comfort them as only You know how, and bring them home. Please guard and protect all of the innocents pulled into this war and bring it to a safe conclusion for Israel.
The tears won't stop. The skin of sorrow is pulled back and it's raw underneath. To Alon's parents, to Hersh, to all the hostages and their families, and to the power of music, we connect with you with motherfucker speakers of the soul. Thank you, Matti Friedman.
To me, one of the most interesting aspects of this piece is that it underscores a huge difference between American and Israeli Jews--the part about Israeli pop music drawing on biblical themes etc. that would sound strange to American ears outside of Christian rock pretty much says it all. Yasher koach!
“ Thanks to you, our subscribers, The Free Press can and does keep growing. And so you can expect to see us expanding our roster of regular columnists, bringing you reporters and writers with deep knowledge across new topics and across the world, all of whom share The Free Press spirit. ” - @bariweiss Like so many of your subscribers, I am simply grateful for TheFP for your amazing team and of course for your personal courage and leadership. And perhaps most of all for your grace and eloquence in the aftermath of the horrors of October 7th and in the months since. God bless you and keep you safe always. 🙏🏻
ps - Besides subscribing, what other ways can those of us who can and want to, do more to support TheFP / Honestly?
Beautifully written. I see the visuals, and the overdubbing, and I wish I had the Hebrew to understand what he's saying. So Matti's description is very useful. Somewhere I wish that lyrics in English were posted. If you know of any, let me know.
Within the first week of the war, massive speakers (probably not this massive) were set up on the border and someone chanted Shema Yisrael in a Sephardic nusach so that the hostages in Gaza could hear.
An interesting story. But I’m increasingly concerned about the narrow perspective of The Free Press regarding Israel. Never a piece about the death & suffering in Gaza; nary a word about new government sponsored illegal settlements on the West Bank. We love this publication because of it’s objectivity, so please apply it to Israel.
The song was astounding and more impressive because it was not written after October 7. Thank you for this beautiful article and for this amazing song.
I love the idea of this concert. I would love to have been there. They went to the end of the world, and turned it up to 11.
And you know what? If the Gazans live in a prison, they themselves built the walls, consciously, and over many decades. I feel no pity for them; any more than American Leftists feel any pity for the Israelis killed without warning or provocation in their homes in horrible and intentionally cruel ways.
Israel Version#1: The starving Gazans were killed because they stampeded each other.
Israel Version#2: The truck drivers panicked and ran over the starving Gazans.
Israel Version #3: Ok, look. Our tank commanders and soldiers "feared for their life" and they fired their weapons, but only in the air.
Israel Version #4 Uh....ok....they fired at people, but only aimed for their legs and arms....yeah, that's the ticket. They were Hamas, or Hamas was standing right behind them. We're investigating. Doesn't involve us anyway. If you mention this, you're a Hamas supporter and anti-semite.
During a two-hour-long interview that was heated at times, Hadas Ziv, director of ethics and policy at Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), acknowledged numerous problems with the position paper she co-authored, “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence As a Weapon of War During the October 7, 2023 Hamas Attacks.”
Ziv admitted credibility problems with sources and that she did not review all available evidence. She was “unaware” numerous sources had fabricated atrocity stories about Oct. 7. Ziv said, “Yeah, that’s a problem,” about a soldier she quotes whose claim of rape was changed by the government. She quoted volunteers from Zaka, a scandal-plagued organization that collected human remains after Oct. 7, but Ziv did not realize Zaka openly talks of inventing stories. When discussing claims that women’s sexual organs were deliberately mutilated, Ziv conceded, “OK, if there’s alternative explanations you can’t say that.”
The musician has the best of intentions and an honorable goal. Using your talent and art to offer hope in desperate times IS honorable. But compassion, true compassion, should see how this could play out to others who are suffering.
Regardless of your opinion of how Israel is conducting their defense, can you imagine hearing this music aimed at you as your entire family just got wiped out from a bomb? A song of hope for some but a perverse mockery for many.
Oh Dear God, please be with the hostages and their families. Comfort them as only You know how, and bring them home. Please guard and protect all of the innocents pulled into this war and bring it to a safe conclusion for Israel.
The tears won't stop. The skin of sorrow is pulled back and it's raw underneath. To Alon's parents, to Hersh, to all the hostages and their families, and to the power of music, we connect with you with motherfucker speakers of the soul. Thank you, Matti Friedman.
This is one reason why I read the Free Press. Thank you.
Just brilliant. That musical video will haunt me for some time. Alon, may the music lift your soul.
To me, one of the most interesting aspects of this piece is that it underscores a huge difference between American and Israeli Jews--the part about Israeli pop music drawing on biblical themes etc. that would sound strange to American ears outside of Christian rock pretty much says it all. Yasher koach!
Beautifully written and heartfelt. Thank you, Matti.
“ Thanks to you, our subscribers, The Free Press can and does keep growing. And so you can expect to see us expanding our roster of regular columnists, bringing you reporters and writers with deep knowledge across new topics and across the world, all of whom share The Free Press spirit. ” - @bariweiss Like so many of your subscribers, I am simply grateful for TheFP for your amazing team and of course for your personal courage and leadership. And perhaps most of all for your grace and eloquence in the aftermath of the horrors of October 7th and in the months since. God bless you and keep you safe always. 🙏🏻
ps - Besides subscribing, what other ways can those of us who can and want to, do more to support TheFP / Honestly?
Unlike in the US, seems like the government lets the military do what they do and gives them the wherewithal to do it.
Stay strong and united Israel. Don’t be like us.
Beautifully written. I see the visuals, and the overdubbing, and I wish I had the Hebrew to understand what he's saying. So Matti's description is very useful. Somewhere I wish that lyrics in English were posted. If you know of any, let me know.
Within the first week of the war, massive speakers (probably not this massive) were set up on the border and someone chanted Shema Yisrael in a Sephardic nusach so that the hostages in Gaza could hear.
It's an amazing idea.
An interesting story. But I’m increasingly concerned about the narrow perspective of The Free Press regarding Israel. Never a piece about the death & suffering in Gaza; nary a word about new government sponsored illegal settlements on the West Bank. We love this publication because of it’s objectivity, so please apply it to Israel.
The song was astounding and more impressive because it was not written after October 7. Thank you for this beautiful article and for this amazing song.
I love the idea of this concert. I would love to have been there. They went to the end of the world, and turned it up to 11.
And you know what? If the Gazans live in a prison, they themselves built the walls, consciously, and over many decades. I feel no pity for them; any more than American Leftists feel any pity for the Israelis killed without warning or provocation in their homes in horrible and intentionally cruel ways.
Israel Version#1: The starving Gazans were killed because they stampeded each other.
Israel Version#2: The truck drivers panicked and ran over the starving Gazans.
Israel Version #3: Ok, look. Our tank commanders and soldiers "feared for their life" and they fired their weapons, but only in the air.
Israel Version #4 Uh....ok....they fired at people, but only aimed for their legs and arms....yeah, that's the ticket. They were Hamas, or Hamas was standing right behind them. We're investigating. Doesn't involve us anyway. If you mention this, you're a Hamas supporter and anti-semite.
Beautiful, Matti. Thank you.
During a two-hour-long interview that was heated at times, Hadas Ziv, director of ethics and policy at Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), acknowledged numerous problems with the position paper she co-authored, “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence As a Weapon of War During the October 7, 2023 Hamas Attacks.”
Ziv admitted credibility problems with sources and that she did not review all available evidence. She was “unaware” numerous sources had fabricated atrocity stories about Oct. 7. Ziv said, “Yeah, that’s a problem,” about a soldier she quotes whose claim of rape was changed by the government. She quoted volunteers from Zaka, a scandal-plagued organization that collected human remains after Oct. 7, but Ziv did not realize Zaka openly talks of inventing stories. When discussing claims that women’s sexual organs were deliberately mutilated, Ziv conceded, “OK, if there’s alternative explanations you can’t say that.”
The musician has the best of intentions and an honorable goal. Using your talent and art to offer hope in desperate times IS honorable. But compassion, true compassion, should see how this could play out to others who are suffering.
Regardless of your opinion of how Israel is conducting their defense, can you imagine hearing this music aimed at you as your entire family just got wiped out from a bomb? A song of hope for some but a perverse mockery for many.