We Are Not Living in Denmark or Sweden

Something aired on Israeli TV last week (of all things, during the Israeli version of “The Voice”) which I think reflects how volatile emotions have been over the last 3 years among people in large sectors of Israeli society.  Just this week 2 more soldiers have been found dead and the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being investigated.

Some background: In The Voice contestants audition in order to be mentored by popular Israeli performers. In an episode recorded in July and aired last week Mai Miller chose to sing the song, “Guard Your Soul,” with lyrics written by poet Natan Alterman, and music composed by Sasha Argov, both jewels in the crown of Israeli culture.

Here is a link to the video of the audition:
https://youtu.be/cixm7B6W2y4?si=D-AWME66Ecpv5djZ

All 4 “judges” turned their chairs around while Miller sang, signifying that they each wanted to mentor her. The last judge to speak was Idan Raichel, currently one of Israel’s most popular performers.

It was clear before Raichel began speaking that he was emotionally moved by Miller’s audition. And then he said the following (translated into English and edited):

“There are moments that are bigger than the stage itself. I think it’s no coincidence that you sang “Guard Your Soul” … which Alterman wrote for his daughter Tirza, whose soul was in turmoil (she attempted suicide). Alterman warns his daughter to watch out for things that can break her soul.”

As he begins to choke up, Raichel continued, “It’s impossible to detach a song like this from what’s happening here in this country, where there are so many people who have been hurt physically and emotionally … We have to understand where we live, we are not in Denmark or Sweden. It’s a religious state, and lots of disasters have taken place … Many parents are simply praying that their son or daughter will return home safely. Nova was a disaster … guard your soul, guard your soul, guard your soul, this is bigger than anything.”

Here is a link to a video of Raichel’s full comments (in Hebrew):
https://youtu.be/RGcH0eNmjeI?si=JYgZfudxmLLKFRan

And here is a link to the words of Alterman and Argov’s moving song, “Guard Your Soul.”

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/natan-alterman-sir-mismar-english?fbclid=IwY2xjawTo8ElwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5BNd0p5cFwc8nROPrUwujZJgshUdH_OPiiM3e6NQ0v7zdzajW3JWUiUDmmbA_aem_zI5Wx08X0kFIAmAQ7oKRzw#google_vignette