Early on in the post 10/7 war in Gaza, I was listening to Yossi Klein Halervi, the Israeli author, journalist, and philosopher, describing how the horrors of that day and the subsequent war had influenced a wave of resilient, sometimes angry, always wistful, and quietly proud songs from artists across the spectrum of Israeli and jewish music. Among my favorites are Eyal Golan’s Am Yisrael Chai and Hatikvah 6’s Giborei Al.

There’s no doubt that the righteous anger many of us felt was echoed as well in a number of songs, like Subliminal’s Ze Aleinu, and Charbu Darbu by Ness & Stilla. But over the ensuing 22 months, as I’ve followed several artists and listened to what’s popular in Israel, I’ve seen a few interesting trends.

A return to songs about love is one, which is good to see and hear, and while some are indistinguishable from the pre-war tunes, several have a quality of waiting for, or missing, or even mourning and moving on from loved ones either on the battlefield or lost.

Another is not only the increasing popularity of spiritual and religious singers, both men and women, but also the increase in spiritual and religious references (which have always been almost unique to Israeli popular music) among mainstream artists. Some of these have covered the unique Shir Lamaalot (A song of Ascents, from Psalms/Tehilim) by Yosef Karduner. And it is not only in Israel that these trends have taken hold, it is in communities and countries here in the US and across the world.

It’s clear that the emotional upheaval all of us have experienced has shaken loose something that stimulates our need for comfort and reassurance, or the confirmation that our feelings, even when they are full of grief or rage, are valid, and they are shared. But as I mentioned above, there’s so much written and sung about love. Love of family, love of the land, the people, the Almighty, and, yes, about those we long for.

It is fitting that we are bringing back to Rockland the incredible Israeli singer Omri Goren, who wowed those who attended our community campaign launch last September supporting the appearance of Aleeza Ben Shalom. This year, Omri brings new songs and his incredible, soulful voice, shaped by his experiences as a new father, and in his experiences in the war. Joining him will be a world class performer who has only recently come to Israel from Iran, Santur artist and composer Gabriel Shem.

Omri and Gabriel will be performing in Rockland on September 7th at 7 PM. Join us, and enjoy an unforgettable experience with these two amazing talents. You can register HERE.