Israelis Use Music to Bring People Together during Corona Crisis
With countless musical performances postponed or canceled, and people quarantined in their homes worldwide, musicians have taken it upon themselves to provide free entertainment in this time of need.
The spontaneous musical initiatives emerging from Israel is second to none. Whether it be live streamed virtual concerts, or collaborating with neighbouring musicians on rooftops and balconies, the power of Israelis to bring people together via music in a time of crisis continues to uplift and inspire us. Here is a sample of some the music pouring out of Israel right now:
Idan Rachel and Infected Mushroom, two of Israel’s biggest acts, partnered with the Jewish Agency and Monstercat TV, respectively, to stream live performances, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide.
Rachel also performed at the Zappa Herzliya club to an empty room, but with an audience of 55,000 tuned in from abroad, as part of Zappa Live, an initiative by Zappa Group and Keshet Media Group to broadcast live daily concerts at various music venues throughout the country via Channel 12, the N12 Website, and Facebook:
Recording artist David Broza is posting recordings of songs from each of his 44 albums every day on Facebook.
The Great Gehenna Choir livestreamed a 30 minute performance on their Facebook Page.
In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, musicians Ran Yehoshua and Yarden Klaymen took to their balconies and rooftops, bringing music to the outdoors and their neighbors together in song.
Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot enlisted her celebrity friends to sing lines from John Lennon’s Imagine, providing a message of hope and unity to her viewers on Instagram:
In the absence of live entertainment, Israeli TV Channels HOT and Yes have made available through subscription a series of timeless operatic and classical music productions such as Verdi’s Rigoletto and the Magic Flute scored by Mozart.
The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) broadcast a free live concert from the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv on the IPO website
Using their smart phones to record themselves, members of the Jerusalem Street Orchestra took to Instagram to perform “Mozart in Quarantine”.
Similarly, students who are part of the classical music department at Tel Aviv’s Thelma Yellin High School performed Mendelssohn’s “Psalms 42” separately from their homes.
Thousands of U.S. families came together for a virtual Shabbat, hosted by the Israeli-American council (IAC) as part of their Shishi Israeli event. The online celebration featured special performances by renowned Israeli musicians David Broza and Giti Shoval and a rendition of the traditional Kiddush prayer by community members of IAC’s Philadelphia chapter. The service was part of the new IAC@Home Program, which provides a virtual option to connect with others during the pandemic.
Israelis have also been offering up humor in these difficult times, re-writing classic Disney songs, from The Lion King to Beauty and the Beast, to be about the coronavirus and posting the parody videos to YouTube:
Israelis have even created their own tunes about the coronavirus to help us get through the outbreak. Check out “Corona is Here” by the Lilo-Weisman family:
In the same spirit of black comedy, standup comedians Eli Galperin and Yossi Penso have posted videos singing about the virus that have gone viral:
Tel Aviv’s Tzavta Theater and Jerusalem’s Khan Theater are posting archived performances on their websites or YouTube channels for audiences to enjoy.
Tourist Israel has created a Spotify playlist of favorite Israeli jams to brighten listeners’ moods during these trying times.
For a country struggling with existential issues, its people’s concern for one another and shared enthusiasm for the arts as a cathartic and joyful medium generates collective resolve to overcome the current pandemic.
Creative Community For Peace looks forward to more music from Israel in the coming weeks and months as the world unites against this horrible virus.