"There Is a Special Place in Heaven for Orphans' Prayers"; Creator Yeshiv Cohen in First Interview

"One of the places that made the most significant contribution to my musical creation," says Yeshiv Cohen, 35, a creator-musician, married and father of four living in Pardes Hana, "was 'David's Violin,' the yeshiva high school where I studied. The yeshiva is located in the settlement of Atarah, an area in Judea and Samaria that experienced many terror attacks. Shortly after I started studying there, the second intifada began, my yeshiva head was injured in an attack, as were other people I knew. One of the hardest attacks in the area was when a terrorist climbed one of the hills and fired at the road and the soldier checkpoint beneath it. Not a few people were killed in that attack. After things calmed down, they held a memorial ceremony there, and my group from the yeshiva came to play. It was a very emotional event. We sang 'Sh'ma Yisrael' in a special arrangement by Naor Karmi. A few years later, when I was already married, I traveled again on that road and was hit by a serious rock attack myself. These are things you cannot forget, things that stay with you always."

The Redeeming Call

"I was born in the United States," Cohen recounts. "My father was an engineer at an Israeli company operating there, and when I was two years old, we returned to Israel. Before we came back, my father learned the importance of settling the Land of Israel, so we settled in Beit El. My mother was a music teacher, so we really grew into it. It was important for my mom that all my siblings learn music, but with me, she was especially insistent because she saw I had talent in the field. I was not an outstanding student, to put it mildly, and when I went to audition for 9th grade in high schools, I didn't know which yeshiva would accept me. When I got to 'David's Violin,' which is a musical yeshiva high school, they asked for my certificate, but out of embarrassment to show it, I said I didn't bring it and would send it by mail. A few days hadn't passed; I didn't even send the certificate, and they already informed me I was accepted to the yeshiva. I was so happy, and of course, I closed the deal there."

What are the most important things you absorbed at the yeshiva?

"Of course, we also learned a lot of Torah and absorbed values, but musically speaking, I can say it was an amazing music school. We had excellent teachers there, including Aharon Razel, one of the early artists in Jewish music who wrote and composed his songs. There at the yeshiva, I began composing songs; I saw the songs won various competitions, and I understood I knew how to compose. Additionally, I learned to play a variety of instruments at the yeshiva, mainly saxophone and guitar, and I realized I love singing.

"After finishing there, I moved to Shavei Hebron Yeshiva and simultaneously continued playing with the group I had in the yeshiva, mainly playing at weddings of those seeking cheap bands. After half a year, I realized it was hard for me to sit all day, so I enlisted in combat service in the Nahal. During basic training, I fainted several times, so they stopped sending me out, and tests revealed I had issues with heart rhythm. For about half a year, I underwent tests and was at home, often in cardiac intensive care, and was very weak, suffering from low blood pressure. Eventually, after a year and a half in the army, I was released. All my friends were still in the army, and I didn't know what to do, so I decided to fly on a mission with 'Torah Mitzion' to Memphis, USA. In the mornings we study Torah at the kollel, and in the afternoons we study one-on-one with community members, teaching Judaism and Hebrew."

Yeshiv Cohen - Seven Times:

Sounds important, but how was the return to Israel?

"The return was really not easy. I came back to Israel without well-organized plans, and it was very hard. I remember getting out of one of the rides home and really starting to cry. I didn't know what I was doing with myself. Up until a moment ago, I was very busy, with an important position and people asking for my help, and suddenly you arrive in Israel, and no one is waiting for you. I was in a month of searching and thought, then the redeeming call came. The head of the kollel from Memphis called and asked if I wanted to come for another year. I told him a year is a lot, but half a year is great. At that point, I also decided that the next time I come back, everything will be much more organized."

(Photo: Ella Ozen)

World of Truth

"The second return to Israel was indeed more organized," Cohen continues. "I started studying for the psychometric exams and guiding groups of Americans coming to Israel, and during that time, I frequently passed by a piano store in Jerusalem. Although my mother was a music teacher, we didn't have a piano at home, and I felt we had to get one. I went into the store and told the salesman I was looking for a piano for 2,000 shekels. Occasionally, I would come in to listen to pianos at that budget, but they weren't very good. One day, as I passed by the store, the salesman suddenly called me, invited me in, and said, 'I have something for you. It costs 4,500 shekels, but it's worth every penny.' I played it and saw it was indeed quality, but as mentioned, I didn't have the amount he asked for. I called my mother, knowing she had a weakness for music, and also told her that my bug for playing came because of her, so I told her we would buy it half and half, and when I get married, I will take it with me. She gave her approval, and we went for it. A relatively short time after that, they suggested I meet my wife, and after half a year, we got married."

What role did music play during that period of your life?

"During that time, I left my first band and suggested to one of my best friends, Alonatan Shalom, that we start our own band. And that's what happened. We started 'Northern Wind,' a band that's been going great for ten years. Shortly after that, my mother was diagnosed with 'the known illness,' and a year and a half later, she passed away. She only heard me play once at a wedding. When she got sick, we lived in Jerusalem, but we knew someone needed to live near her, so we moved to Beit El. During that period, I felt that while everything was going well with the weddings, I thought music wasn't a profession for life. My mother often told me not to work in it. Because of this, I decided to study engineering, believing it would make her happy.

"It did make her happy, but she barely got to enjoy it. Her illness was very hard for me. Luckily, I had a lot to do, and a small child to raise, so I didn't sink into sadness. And in the end, life is stronger than anything. Still, it was very painful. Towards the end, I saw her wither away, and it was very hard. Two weeks before she passed away, I returned from a wedding late at night, and they threw stones at me on the way; I came home shaking. I thought I was going to die. The next morning, I was supposed to get up early to be with my mom and take her for treatments, but I woke up late, and my uncle called, asking why I didn't take her. We had a difficult conversation, and he said mom had two months to live. It's something difficult for the mind to grasp, but it was the first time I broke down crying when I understood what was going to happen."

Yeshiv Cohen - At Twilight:

So, I assume you tried to part with your mom in a defined and organized manner.

"What I just told was around Passover night, and there was talk in the family that it was her last Passover night, so we did it together. On the holiday's eve, I went shopping with my wife, and I remember mom really insisted my dad returned everything we spent. That night she went to sleep and didn't wake up. This was very hard, but it also led to a significant and good turning point in my life. Alongside the sense of loss, I felt I had to be real and didn't need to please anyone anymore. My mom is already in the world of truth, and that's it, no more pretense.

"I began a journey searching for the right thing, during which I left my engineering studies and enrolled in the cadet program of the local government, and at night continued playing at events, planning slowly to leave music. I finished my degree and started in the Taibeh municipality as the CEO's assistant of economic development, and there I realized that office work wasn't for me. It was relatively interesting, a settler working in Taibeh, but still, I felt it wasn't for me."

I imagine at this stage you finally felt free to pursue what you truly love, music, all the way.

"Indeed, that's exactly what happened. I started doing various activities in the field, and two and a half years ago, I got a call from a friend who suggested I record a song in his studio. I asked him to send the song, and he said he meant I should come with my own song. I told him I didn't have any songs at the moment, that many years I hadn't written and composed, but it got me excited about the subject. I sat at the piano I bought thanks to mom, her picture was on it before my eyes, and I created a song that was all about releasing from the past world I was in and entering music anew. Thanks to my mom, I entered the world of music, and she is also very connected to my return to it. What we planned to record didn't materialize, but the train had already left the station. Shortly after, another friend offered me to record at his place, and this time it happened. From that recording came the song 'Happier', which obviously talks about my late mother.

"Several friends heard the song, including Hanan Ben Ari, who said he cried when he heard it, and they told me I must record it more professionally, so I went for it. Hashem surrounded me with amazing musicians, and it happened greatly because of them. During that period, I worked in the mornings in Taibeh and at weddings at night, but I concluded I had to decide. And I chose music. I always thought it would be a side hobby, but suddenly I realized I wanted it to be the real thing. Because of this, a burst of creativity came, and since then, I've released several songs."

Yeshiv Cohen - Homeward:

Following the choice you've made, and in general, in what ways do you feel Hashem influences your creation?

"Hashem's presence in my life is very strong. I grew up in a home where the parents were very devoted to Him, and it seeped into me. For example, many times, I saw my father crying in prayer. Thanks to them, I also talk a lot to Hashem. And in general, since my mom passed away, I feel I have a loving representative in heaven. A friend of mine, who is also half an orphan, told me there is a special place in heaven for orphans' prayers, and since then, that thought has stayed with me. I pray to Hashem for many things, including that what I do is right and accurate and that I bring a lot of joy to Hashem. This is really what I want in life.

"Many times, I ask myself what Hashem wants from me, and I believe He wants me to make music. The connection to the Master of the Universe is a great gift for me. We live in such a confused world, and we must have Him with us. My secular friends tell me: 'I envy you for having this thing, for having something to hold onto.' It's true that keeping the commandments sometimes brings difficulties, but it's still a great gift. Hashem accompanies me in every step, and I truly feel it. Many times we cannot know what He wants from us, but we must listen inside and do what feels right and faithful to the halacha. The connection to Hashem gives me a lot of peace and confidence, and I hope it only goes and grows."

Yeshiv Cohen - Home: