The new song that many are talking about in the past few weeks in Israel is Sof Tov (Good Ending), which was released on January 8 by the singer Yoni Bloch.
The song’s music video which accompanies the song, made mostly by AI, is talking about the day on which all the hostages will return, peace will come, and how things will get back to normal. Israelis will fly wherever they want, visit all the Arab countries nearby, and so on.
When first listening to the song and watching the video, the song sounds very touching and optimistic. But the reality is that it is very naïve, disconnected from reality, and shows an extreme lack of understanding of the region by the Israeli secular left wing. (Disclaimer: The video contains frames that are not tzniut.) And in some ways, the song tells us a lot about the different ways the war is viewed among different parts of Israeli society – especially, broadly speaking, between the Israeli Right and Left.
Music can tell a story. Looking back at the popular Israeli music from the beginning of the modern state of Israel, in the first years music was very patriotic. “Ma gadol hayom hazeh,” how great this day, the song “Shuru Habitu Ure’eu” says. We’ll not rest and not get tired until the rocks will give honey and milk. They said there’s a country. Hello, Akiva. Hello, Rabbi. Where are the holies? Where is the Maccabee?
Eretz Yisrael is beautiful, says the song “Eretz Yisrael Yaffa,” and so on. Israeli music in the first years of the country was very connected to tradition and spoke about the Holy Land. One of my favorite bands, by the way, is The Gevatron, which sings these beautiful old songs. I highly recommend their albums.
However, over the years, with the rise of pop/rock bands and especially after the Yom Kippur War in 1973, things changed. The songs took a turn. Most of the Israeli pop and rock music was written, composed, and produced by secular Israelis from the left. And this is reflected in their work. There was a main motif that repeated itself: Let’s give up lands. Let’s give parts of Israel to the Arabs, and then peace will come. Not only this, but also in some songs they encourage leaving Israel. This was kind of taboo in Israeli society.
In the song “Lachyot b’New Zealand” (To Live in New Zealand) by Ethnix, which was a very popular band in the 80s and the 90s in Israel, the narrator says that sometimes he thinks of living on a green island, in a far ocean, without wars and the taxes that come to cover the costs of war (he speaks in the song about the taxes that the government imposed following the first Lebanon war). He just wants to read the newspaper quietly, he continues, without headlines about corruption of the politicians (yes, Israel is the only country in the world which has corrupt politicians), and hearing a cannon only on the queen’s birthday. The song has a very nice beat and the harmony is rich. But the words, the message, contradict the beauty of the beat and harmony.
In the song “Yehiyeh Tov” (Things Will Be Good), which written by Yehonatan Geffen following the peace agreement with Egypt and performed by David Broza the narrator, describes how he’s happy and excited about the arrival of the president of Egypt. Pyramids in his eyes and peace in his pipe. And we said, he continues, let’s reconcile, let’s make peace, let’s live like brothers. And then he [Sadat] said, Let’s go! Just get out of the land! (Why does Israel always need to get out of the land to get peace?)
Interesting fact: Go on Google or Wikipedia and search for the famous picture of Sadat and Begin in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem when he came to visit Israel. Look closely at his tie and see the pattern. What symbol is repeating on his tie? (Hint: Swastika.)
Kaveret was a very popular Israeli band in the 70s. The band was formed in 1973 and was one of the first rock bands in Israel. To be honest, I really like their music and used to listen to it a lot when I was younger. One of their most popular and known songs is “Natati La Chayai” (I Gave Her My Life). In the last verse, the narrator says that one says that the skies are ending. He doesn’t have enough skies, while there’s enough air for one state, or two…
In “Shir LaShalom” (A Song for Peace) of Lehakat Hanachal (The Nachal band), the narrator asks – begs – “Therefore sing a song for peace. Don’t whisper a prayer. You better sing a song for peace, in a big shout. Sing a song to love, and not for wars.”
In the famous song “Choref ’73” (The Winter of ’73), the narrator speaks about the kids of the winter of ’73 who were born after the war. When they were born, the song goes, elderly people blessed them with tears in their eyes that they wished these kids would never need to go to the army. And they believe them when they promise to do everything for them, so they will turn over the enemy to a lover. “You promised a dove. An olive leaf. Peace at home,” they say in the chorus. (The peace the narrators in both “Shir LaShalom” and “Choref ’73” refer to is a peace where Israel gives up Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians and the Golan Heights to Syria.)
And while in the popular secular rock/pop music they call to give up lands (they always call Judea and Samaria “lands,” “shetachim”), in the right wing/chasidic music they sing about Eretz Yisrael which belongs to us forever. The beautiful song “Yerushalayim” by Mordechai Ben David, concludes with the words “Eretz avoteinu v’shelanu he la’ad,” this is the land of our ancestors and belongs to us forever. “Lecha Etein et HaAretz Hazot,” to you I will give this land, sang Dedi Graucher, z”l. “Yerushalayim Oro Shel Olam,” Jerusalem is the light of the world, sings Avraham Fried.
After the destruction of Gush Katif in 2005, while the left “celebrated” the withdrawal, “We taught the mitnachalim (settlers) a lesson,” wrote Yair Lapid in the Yediot Achronot newspaper. In his beautiful and touching song “Ima Im Hayiti” (Mom, If I Would), Hanan Ben Ari laments the destruction of Gush Katif, and promises to return. “Od Nashuv,” we will return, we will return. I highly recommend finding this beautiful song on YouTube and listening to it. (Sad fact: During the destruction of Gush Katif and the deportation of the Jews who lived there, the kibbutznikim of Otef Aza (the Gaza envelope) protested with joy, supporting the deportation and withdrawal from Gush Katif, which added to the pain of the residents of Gush Katif. The residents who protected them with their bodies by living there. We all know how the Hitnatkut (Disengagement) of 2005 ended on one day – October 7, 2023.
From today’s music, one of the most popular songs in the last year which I enjoy both listening to and playing is “Yama” by Benny Friedman: “Ki et kol haAretz asher ata ro’eh lecha etnena,” I will give you the whole land which you see.
Izhar Ashdot, one of the most talented and popular Israeli singers, composers and producers, in his album Our Nights, which was released in 2007, dedicated a song to the Russian army and the October revolution of communism (also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution or the Bolshevik coup). The song “Mata’ei HaDuvdevan Shel Ukraina” (The Cherry Orchards of Ukraine) praised the Red Army. “More than all I love the 1st of May parade,” it goes. Most of the kibbutzim in the first years of Israel were influenced by Stalin and the Soviets.
I personally really liked Ashdot’s music and had some of his albums. When he does not sing about communism, he has some good songs. But after back in 2012 he released a song which was pure lashon hara about the IDF soldiers who, according to him, committed war crimes in Hebron, it became somewhat difficult for me to listen to his music. In his horrible, disgusting song “Inyan Shel Hargel” (A Matter of Habit), this rasha me’rusha, evil singer dared to call the holy IDF soldiers murderers! Now here’s the thing – I try to separate the person behind the music and his political opinions when I listen to music. But I still remember his words when I sometimes listen to his other albums which I have on my music player. However, I make sure to listen to it when I’m by myself and not when my kids are with me in the car.
In chasidic music, however, which mostly identifies with the right wing, the three most popular singers, Avraham Fried, Mordechai Ben David and Dedi Graucher, z”l, all sang about Hebron. “Chevron Sheli” by Avraham Fried, “Chevron Me’az U’letamid” by Mordechai Ben David, and Chevron of Dedi Graucher, z”l. To be honest, I can’t decide yet which one of the three I like the most. So I’d say I love them all and I encourage you to listen to them on YouTube and then purchase the entire albums.
“Chayeleinu nilchamu, Shem Shamayim hem kidshu, u’b’ezrat Hashem et Hame’ara Shichreru,” Our soldiers fought and made a huge kiddush Hashem, and with G-d’s help they redeemed Me’arat HaMachpela, sang Dedi Graucher, z”l when referring to our dear soldiers in his Chevron song.
If in the first years of modern Israel the Israeli music glorified the IDF and the victories, during the years it took a turn and some of the songs called to end the wars. An example is “Prachim BaKane” (Flowers in the Barrel), which was written by Dudu Barak and has a few versions. One of the most famous is by the above-mentioned Ethnix band. The song expresses the hope to end the wars (wars which were forced on Israel). In a different twist on this theme, the new video of Yoni Bloch’s “Sof Tov,” he shows the lishkat giyus (draft center) locked under heavy chains and big locks, and in some frames a stack of guns behind fences, implying that they’re not in use anymore. As well as an exemption letter from the IDF, in which the reason noted on the letter is “Peace.” Implying again that the IDF will not be needed anymore. Of course, former PM Golda Meir (who was from the left) once said, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.”
In the right wing music, however, they talk about victory. For example, Dov Shurin’s major hit “Zochreini Na,” is from the prayer of Samson, asking Hashem to restore his strength so he can exact his revenge upon Philistines. Dedi Graucher, z”l says in his song “Lo Nazuz,” we will not move from this land. From the land of Israel. This is our land, as it is written in the Torah.
In the vision of Yoni Bloch, when peace arrives, a parade of floats, similar to the Macy’s Parade, will take place on Har HaBayit. Obviously, in his AI clip there’s no Beit HaMikdash, rather a huge, silly, yellow cartoon-style float on a parade on Har HaBayit. And only the Dome of the Rock in the background.
In contrast, the vision of Avraham Fried in his beautiful song “Nisht Gedaiget” (which is probably worth a column) is the construction of Beit HaMikdash. In the song he describes a dream of a Yid who dreams about Beit HaMikdash and the renewal of Avodat HaKorbanot. And in the song of Aharon Razel (which I wrote about in a previous column) “Zeman HaGeulah” (Redemption Time), he ends the song with the words: “Time for a new song. A song we’ll sing on our way to Beit HaMikdash.” And there are countless examples in chasidic music of songs which talk about the Beit HaMikdash. I mention “Zeman HaGeulah” and “Nisht Gedaiget” because I really love these songs and I encourage you to listen to them on YouTube and also purchase the albums.
The last week was very difficult in Israel. While many Israelis were happy about the hostage deal, many were very worried. Both sides want the hostages back home. The debate is over the implementation – how to do it. I don’t have the answers. But just as reviewing the music of the right and left wings from the past can give us greater understanding of views and events, music can also help us appreciate the complexity of the issues of today.
