Alma Zohar: "The Process Will Last My Whole Life"

"Rabbi Nachman says: Go out to the field. But what is 'the field'? When was the last time you went alone to the field? The field is an open place, it's a dangerous place, heaven forbid, a bad wolf could come, robbers, Philistines, refugees... This is what Meir Ariel meant when he said, 'Do not go alone.' But the field is also where everything grows and renews. It is a place close to creation. Only if we take a risk and part from the walls of our homes, from our safe place. In the city, I am 'Alma Zohar, poet and creator', but in the field, I am nobody. Or alternatively, I am who I truly am. And there in the field, I have the opportunity to 'talk to Hashem' and receive from Him 'a new song', to receive life, vitality, creativity, and meaning."

(Alma Zohar, from her Facebook page).

"I grew up in a home of Jerusalem artists," Alma Zohar shares in a special interview with Hidabroot, where she discusses her connection to Judaism, "many children, much chaos, much culture and art. My parents gave us a very rich world of experiences and were very present in our lives."

Was there a connection to Judaism?

"Our home wasn't religious or traditional, though my mother was a woman of faith, and at certain times she strengthened her observance and kept Shabbat. But the tone at home was very liberal, not one of imposition. Jewish culture, however, was very present, my parents are people of books, and to this day there is a serious collection of sacred books at home. It is not foreign to them."

In 2008, Zohar became known as a musician in the general music industry. It was not easy for her. "The success landed on me suddenly and without being prepared for it. I didn't come from the entertainment business, and it was quite stressful and confusing. I had to formulate a position on this thing and understand what I actually want - because being famous is a job in itself, and you have to decide if you continue on your way or work at being successful. They don't always go together. In my case, there wasn't much hesitation. I wanted to be an artist, not a celebrity. I chose to continue my path, to create and do what interests me, not for radio or audience. Only for my heart. In terms of career, I paid a price, but I saved my soul. I managed to maintain something very whole within me. It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't live in that world of publicity, but people there are in endless anxiety, constantly exposed, standing for judgment. For me, it was a place not healthy to be in. And I'm not there. Period."

Alma Zohar

After visiting Ukraine, at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, Zohar took upon herself the observance of Shabbat and kashrut. "I knew I had a journey within this matter. Therefore, I initially avoided definitions like 'returning to faith' or 'strengthening.' I started intensive study of the writings of Rabbi Nachman, and it affected my life and worldview, but I didn’t see myself completely disconnecting from my life and going all the way down this path. I underwent a significant internal change, and in that sense, I repented, and started a process of internal work and rectification that continues to this day and will, God willing, last all my life. I am progressing in small steps, and I have a long, long way to go."

A year ago, Alma became a mother. "It was the most wonderful and difficult year of my life," she admits, "I discovered within me powers, joy, and immense love that weren't there before. Parenthood has made life much more intense, it required me to grow and develop, to be able to contain more and do much more. Today, I accomplish in an hour what I used to do in a week. My daily schedule has changed as well as my priorities, my life no longer revolves around me, I'm only in second place, and strangely, it's a very liberating feeling. I no longer make such a big deal of myself, and can be very happy that another day passed peacefully and I even managed to fold laundry."

She is raising her son with the aim of creating for him a quiet and organic environment. "I have always been a person close to nature," she says, "for me, it is a place of balance and sanity, and the child only enhances my feeling that the world is full of so many distractions, unnecessary noise, consumer products no one needs, and ways to waste the precious time we have on this earth. I am guided by the feeling that less is more. I want to create for him within all the world's noise an organic, quiet, simple, and pleasant environment, as much as I can. No television, no billion loud plastic toys, no food full of sugars and preservatives, and without spending all day in the clinics. But I am not extreme in any direction."

What are you doing these days?

"The past year has been a turning point in my life. I brought into the world my third album and my first son, and the entire life system changed as a result. These days, I am finishing the work on a new children's album that will be released, God willing, after Passover. It is an album I made together with my little son and with great joy and enjoyment. At the same time, I am launching a new show called 'I Remember My Melody at Night', which is a kind of free conversation of mine with the texts of Rabbi Nachman."

What's next?

"Who knows? I still have a drawer full of dreams I haven't yet fulfilled. More than anything, I really want more children, just to love more and more. To feel my heart expand without limit."