Singer Lizzy Hazan: "My Sister Appeared in a Dream and Said: 'Tell Mom Not to Cry'"

The future looked promising for Lizzy Hazan. From a young age, she was involved in music, and it was clear to her family and friends that her path to the top of the stage was paved and secure. When she enlisted in the IDF, she did not give up on joining a military band, and simultaneously produced many songs, most in English, which reached top chart positions worldwide.

Immediately after completing her military service, Lizzy continued to conquer peaks: she performed as a backup singer for leading artists like Lior Narkis, Ofer Levi, Tzadi Orr, Maor Edri, Avi Peretz, Yaron Cohen, Ofir Cohen, and more, on giant stages in Caesarea and at the Cultural Hall. She had songs that became famous and were sung both domestically and internationally, and she performed at weddings as a singer and soloist.

Despite her meteoric rise, Lizzy was still a young woman at that time. Along with the many songs she produced herself, she also teamed up with her sister Zohar, a few years her senior, to produce joint performances.

To Sing Without Stop

The first blow that shattered her beautiful and serene life occurred when her father died suddenly on a Shabbat night. "He was only 64," she recounts that horrific day, "He wanted to go to sleep, climbed the stairs and suddenly tripped and fell backward. The blow he received to his brain stem was fatal, and he died a few hours later. It was a week before the Torah portion Vayetze in which he was born, and where it says 'Vayetze Yaakov.' My father's name was 'Yaakov,' and the conjunction of these events was most chilling..."

Lizzy found it very difficult to cope with her father's passing. "I was always very close to him," she says, "and I felt as if the stable ground had been taken from under my feet. After some time, I began experiencing anxiety attacks, and I didn't even know how to identify them. I remember waking up one night with real difficulty breathing, and I ran to the window to get some air. I didn't even understand that there was an issue, only later did I receive treatment, and thank Hashem, I recovered using natural methods."

Meanwhile, she began to feel a real need to strengthen her faith. "I come from a traditional, Shabbat-observing home," she emphasizes, "but as a teenager, I didn't really adhere to modest dress or the rules of Jewish law. After my father's death, I felt a genuine need to seek answers and strengthen myself through Torah lessons."

During the year of mourning, she almost didn't sing, but as soon as the year ended, new, thrilling plans emerged.

"I was invited to sing in Caesarea together with another singer, and I explained to the producer that I was willing to sing, but only in modest attire. At first, she was shocked, but eventually she tailored a special and modest garment for me, and even admitted that it was much more flattering.

"During those days, I also got an opportunity to participate in the famous show 'Eyal Golan Calls You' – a program where singer Eyal Golan showcased new musical talents, with a very prestigious prize for the winners. I cannot forget the excitement I felt, I reached right before the finals and felt that I was touching my dream. Ultimately, I didn't manage to win, and at that time I felt my world had collapsed, literally, and the disappointment was terrible. Only today, in retrospect, do I understand how Hashem saved me and pulled me out of there at the last moment. He didn't want me to enter into this industry."

"Tell Mom Not to Cry"

A few months later, joy finally arrived in the family. Lizzy married her husband, who was in the process of becoming more observant, and five months later, her sister – singer Zohar Ben Shitrit – also got married. "When I married, I was still wearing pants," Lizzy recalls, "but gradually I and my husband became closer, and we took on more and more commitments and enhancements. Meanwhile, my sister flew to Miami for her honeymoon, where she stayed for several more months and continued with a series of performances.

"It prevented us from continuing our joint performances," Lizzy says, "but I was happy for my sister as she fulfilled her dreams and performed abroad. After half a year, she informed me that she was returning to Israel. When I arrived at the airport to welcome her, I was utterly surprised to see her walking towards me with a long skirt, stockings, and even a headscarf. My first question was: 'Zohar, is everything okay?' because I was always the one trying to get her to attend Torah lessons, and suddenly she was the one taking such a drastic step. Zohar explained to me that when she was abroad, she felt the need to get closer, and thus adopted full modesty."

However, accompanying the joy of her return to Israel, it became clear that Zohar's condition wasn't good. "Even while she was in Miami, she underwent tests that diagnosed a malignant disease, but tests she did in Israel seemed to indicate an improvement. For a very short period, we breathed easier, but soon it became clear that the joy was premature and Zohar's condition was worsening.

"In the meantime," Lizzy adds, "I continued to go around with my sister and sing with her at various events. By those days, we both had already become closer to our faith, so we tried to perform only in front of women. Zohar also began to host challah separation evenings, accompanied by her singing. One evening I was invited to sing at a challah separation event and took upon myself a bold decision – to maintain a partial head covering, for my sister's recovery. For me, it was a huge endeavor, and two weeks later, Zohar underwent a lung scan and the results looked better. I felt that Hashem was listening to me and was close to me, it was a wonderful feeling."

Two more weeks passed, and the doctors announced that "the tumor disappeared and the lungs are clean." "We were very excited," Lizzy recounts, "We felt we had experienced a medical miracle, and even celebrated a thanksgiving party."

Yet again, the joy was premature. "A few weeks later, my mother called me at six in the morning, trembling, and informed me: 'Come to the hospital, the doctors said Zohar has only a few hours to live.' To this day, I don't understand exactly what happened there and how it transpired," Lizzy notes, "but it seems the lungs were indeed clean, but part of the tumor remained, and the medication she received caused seizures and fainting, which greatly worsened her condition."

However, despite Zohar's severe condition, it wasn't her last day. "The doctors spoke about hours, but Zohar continued to fight for two more weeks," Lizzy details. "I visited her almost every day, and in parallel, I continued to take upon myself more and more commitments, realizing that this was the only thing that could save her life. During those days, many people and artists from the music world took upon themselves commitments for her sake. It was deeply moving to tears to see how artists from all over the world took on so many commitments, many of whom even stopped working on Shabbat, and those familiar with television and media people know how challenging that is. I'm sure it made a huge impact in heaven."

There was also Lizzy's personal commitment during the shiva days. "When I sat shiva, it was clear to me that I was taking this difficult challenge and was going to stop performing in mixed events entirely. It was a decision I had been considering in my heart for a long time before, but then I knew I was going to carry it out. Wasn't it hard to decide to sing modestly and only in front of women? After all, it changes the whole essence of your performances?

"I made the decision after I had been on the biggest stages, and it truly was not easy at all. But during those days, following everything we experienced, I felt so close to Hashem, and everything turned to vanity, utterly insignificant. I also constantly felt there was a kind of balance, since I had performed with my sister in the past in mixed shows, and I wanted very much to atone for that. The truth is, when I made the decision, it was clear to me that I would continue to sing, but I would do so in small, limited performances where 20 women would be the maximum. I didn't think there would be another possibility."

Along with this, Lizzy decided to continue observing head coverings and stockings. "It's true that I did it for Zohar's recovery, and after she passed away, I was seemingly exempt, but I decided to continue further, and I pleaded with Hashem to send me a sign that my actions were beloved and desirable."

Lizzy never imagined the sign would come so quickly. "The day after the funeral, the woman who did the purification for my sister called me and told me she was marrying off a daughter, and Zohar appeared to her in a dream, brought her a wedding dress, shook her hand, and said: 'Mazel tov, tell my mom that there is nothing to cry about because I am in Gan Eden.'"

Never Stop Praying

If you meet Lizzy today, you would find it hard to believe she once looked different. She continues to insist on singing only for women, performing in many challah separation evenings and women's events, and a few years ago, she joined 'The Yehudiyot Band,' where she discovered the possibility of performing not just in small home events, but also on large stages. "It was a big revelation for me to perform before 11,000 women as a returnee to faith, and I was delighted to realize I could continue my profession in a holy and pure manner." 

She also has another insight to conclude with: "During the period when I was performing at challah separation evenings, I heard many miracles and salvations around me – the sick healed, single women found their matches, women searching for livelihood found it abundantly, women blessed with children, and only I, who was already married for five years, had not yet been blessed with children. I did not understand why this was happening, and in some measure, there was even resentment within me – how could it be that I, who was doing so much to bring closer and get closer to Hashem, was not deserving to have my prayers answered? Those were times of difficult trials, but also of strong faith and tremendous inner work. Eventually, I was blessed, and after six years, I gave birth to a son. We named him Or Chaim, and he indeed fills us with light and immense joy. It is clear to me that Hashem forgets no one, and everything is precise from heaven; we just need to keep praying, asking, and hoping."