Updated 25 November 2023 at 20:33 IST
WATCH: Israeli musicians sing songs of solidarity to boost morale of troops amid war with Hamas
Popular Israeli singer Ishay Ribo, whose event got cancelled due to the war after the October 7 raid by the Hamas, was seen performing for the troops.
- World News
- 4 min read
Israeli singers and musicians have been singing the songs of solidarity at the IDF military bases and hospitals in order to comfort the wounded Israeli soldiers. The movement started after popular Israeli singer Ishay Ribo, whose event got cancelled due to the war after the October 7 raid by the Hamas during the Sukkot festival, was seen performing for the troops.
Ribo, like umpteen singers, made visit to the IDF bases in the South, where he sang for the soldiers. He was also joined by many other soldiers who sang to uplift the spirits of fellow Israelis during the harrowing and tough times.
Kudos to Ishay Ribo and other singers, who have been going to bases and hospitals nonstop to help comfort the Israeli soldiers.
Treating others like family is the magic of the Jewish people 💛 pic.twitter.com/y9IWWAuMcV— Living Lchaim (@LivingLchaim) October 15, 2023
Israelis have been reeling from the tragedy after the Hamas terrorists attacked inside the country by breaching the southern fence on October 7, the last day of the Jewish holiday. Scores of civilians were dragged from their homes and were taken hostages at the outdoor rave.
Hamas terrorists committed atrocities, and killed several unarmed Israelis including the women who were brutally molested, raped and assaulted on gunpoint, many of whom were pulled away from the location into Gaza by the terror organisation.
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As the Israeli musicians, singers and performers came together to alleviate the fellow citizens’ devastation, Ribo took to his official social media pages to praise the Israeli troops for their service. The singer expressed support for Israeli soldiers’ war against Hamas terror.
"You are an inspiration!” Ribo said on his official Instagram page. He shared visuals of himself performing to a group of soldiers. “May God succeed through you and your tasks, and may you return home safely and unharmed,” he said.
‘Emotional and unforgettable’
Several prominent Israeli performers including Shlomo Artzi, Ivri Lider, Netta Barzilai, Harel Skaat, David Broza, Jonathan Mergui and Jane Bordeaux shared videos of themselves travelling across the IDF bases, hospitals, battered homes, and streets to sing songs of solidarity. They were also seen singing impromptu at the weddings, as well as with grieving families, sharing their loss.
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Israeli artist Artzi called his performance in Israel on September 21 in Sderot, “emotional and unforgettable,” according to Israel based newspaper The Times of Israel. Two weeks after, Hamas pounded Israel with rockets and ran a deadly rampage across the streets in the border towns.
The singer went to the hospital beds of the injured, and sat at the homes of the killed IDF soldiers who died protecting Kibbutz Kfar Aza, as well as Jonathan Rom killed by Hamas at the Supernova desert rave. Israeli singer singer Hanan Ben Ari told citizens on his social media that he would go LIVE for the families who’ve lost a loved one, and that he would talk, process, sing, pray and cheer for the soldiers.
“This is the best thing I know how to do, sing with people,” Ben Ari, who served in the army was quoted as saying by the paper. “I’ve been racking my brain all night,” he said, adding that he’s there for fellow citizens. “I’m neither a politician nor a journalist nor do I speak [foreign] languages to explain us to the world. There is no time now for commissions of inquiry, for accusations and not even for mourning. We are at war for our home,” he reportedly said. Ben Ari’s and singer Lider’s producer Aviv Bera’am was killed in Hamas onslaught.
“Only last Thursday we laughed together. We were excited for the flight to the US. We wished you a happy holiday,” he wrote.
“This song is dedicated to my nation,” wrote Ben Ari. “Not the one that was here a week ago, the one that we’ll create again when all this is over,” the singer added.
‘Dedicated to nation’
Israeli singer released a song titled “Birthplace,” that lyrically outlined the events since the last two weeks, including the terrorist attacks, the reservist callup of 350,000, losses, volunteering and recovery from the war trauma. “This song is dedicated to my nation,” Ben Ari said. “Not the one that was here a week ago, the one that we’ll create again when all this is over.”
Eurovision 2018 winner Netta Barzilai also informed on social media that she had been to the funerals, visiting hospitals and performing for the grieving families. She visited parents of Tuval Haim, Barzilai’s drummer, whose sibling Yotam Haim has been missing since Hamas’ raid.
Published By : Zaini Majeed
Published On: 25 November 2023 at 20:33 IST