The Singer Who Makes Soldiers Dance: "Sometimes You Have No Words, You Just Cry With Them"

"Your performance tonight is canceled," were the words that the synagogue official used to greet singer Avi Ilson when he arrived at the synagogue on the morning of Simchat Torah. At that time, Ilson was unaware of what was happening in the south, but rumors had already started spreading. "I saw people at the entrance with cell phones and weapons," he describes, "I began to realize that the alarms I heard earlier were not false alarms, but like all of Israel, I didn´t yet comprehend the significance or understand that we were heading into an intense war the likes of which Israel has never known before."

"Of course, as the hours passed and we became aware of the scale, I couldn´t think about my canceled shows," he adds, "Even now, I feel uncomfortable talking about it. Generally, I am a person of organized work, with clear plans for the entire upcoming year. Needless to say, everything was either halted or significantly changed, because anyone in the music field knows how hard it´s hit during this wartime, there´s no way to compare the current situation to the pre-war period."

To Sing, Cry, and Sing

In Ilson´s professional life, he participates in large performances in Israel and abroad, as well as almost nightly at weddings. "In the first weeks of the war, most weddings turned into corona weddings," he notes, "They were mostly moved to smaller halls or synagogues and held with a limited number of participants. The most traumatic wedding I attended was the one that took place the day after Simchat Torah. It was a couple who booked me many months ago and had many plans for their wedding, but of course, everything changed. When I arrived at the wedding, I saw people with a hollow look in their eyes, under the tough atmosphere we were all in during those days. I also felt a great heaviness, but I knew that the joy of the bride and groom is above all else, so I took a deep breath and tried to rise above all the emotions, thinking about how to make people dance and cheer up."

As of today, Ilson notes that most weddings continue as usual, but all the shows that were supposed to happen have been canceled or postponed. "Even shows I was invited to abroad were postponed," he mentions, "For example, I was supposed to participate in a big performance in Argentina, and they postponed it, feeling that they can't celebrate while the Jews in Israel are at war. But as I pointed out, I don´t even feel that it´s a challenge or a struggle for me. I see and hear around me families that have gone through the worst, whose lives have turned upside down. I see people risking their lives daily for Israel, and I know that my loss is completely marginal and insignificant."

But following the partially cleared schedule from the big shows, something fascinating happened. As Ilson notes, alongside all the phone calls and messages about the cancellations, various organizations and charities reached out inviting him to hotels and places with evacuees to uplift and sing with them. "From that moment, that´s exactly what I did," he says, "Every day I got into the car and drove wherever I was invited, trying to make people dance and sing. Initially, they looked at me in shock and were not very cooperative. As a singer used to entertain crowds, I didn´t quite know how to react when I directed the speaker towards the evacuees saying, 'Let´s hear you now', and saw everyone staring at me in speechless shock. But after a few songs, the ice usually broke, and I began to feel how much value music has in neutralizing tough thoughts, setting them aside, and enabling us to dance and rejoice."

From the performance at the Western Wall for ZAKA Volunteers (Photo Credit: Rashbi Meshulam)

"Eshet Chayil" with the Soldiers

Ilson also visited IDF bases all over the country, including sensitive areas where numerous security events occurred, like Tapuach Junction in Judea and Samaria, where he arrived one Friday, the eve of Shabbat. "When I reached Tapuach Junction, I mostly met reservists," he recalls, "I discovered that more than it´s hard to cheer up soldiers, it´s even harder to cheer up reservists. These are people who left their families behind and went out for an undetermined time. Some told me they hadn´t been home since Simchat Torah, their thoughts all the time with those they left behind, and their feelings very mixed and challenging. They are in a difficult trial, especially when I heard from them between songs about the activities they are doing in an area very close to Jenin, a tough and dangerous place."

"I tried to think of what I could give them beyond songs," he remembers, "and since it was an hour and a half before Shabbat, I came up with the idea to sing 'Eshet Chayil' with everyone, asking each one to dedicate this song to his wife. We sang the song together, with some of them even contacting their wives who listened to us in real-time. I also thought about my wife, the ‘*eshet chayil*’, who sent me on this Friday, the eve of Shabbat, to perform, understanding that in times like these, everyone truly has to come together and contribute what they can. I returned home later, and I had a very moving Shabbat, with thoughts about the reservists doing holy work, and many reflections about the fact that none of us can rest; we all have a mission."

Is there a particular song of yours that is especially requested in these times?

"The soldiers mainly request classic songs like 'Am Israel Chai' and the like. Additionally, there's my song '***Ten Li Or***' which highly expresses the feelings we all go through and has been very successful. I also have the song '***Sheyavo***' - a song of longing for the redemption and Messiah, with words about Jews praying for thousands of years and asking every day for Messiah to come, despite the troubles and burdens of exile, the heart still beats in prayer. I believe that in such times, people don’t need complex tunes or complicated words, they need the simplest words that will resonate in their hearts. We all sing and cry, sing and pray."

"Recently, I also released a new song called '***Everything Will Pass***.' It was written by my friend Elchanan Elhadad during the corona days when he had a son and couldn’t attend the brit, as he was confirmed sick. The song's words express the struggle and pain, along with the understanding that 'you will see that everything will pass, that we will have the strength to return to dreaming, to achieve, to rebuild...' The song was on hold with me for three years since corona, and every time I tried to work on it, it got canceled at the last moment. I felt like Hashem was putting a stop sign, signaling me, 'Don´t release this song, take another song.' Now, when the war broke out, Elchanan reached out and told me: 'Even if one Jew is strengthened thanks to the clip - it´s worth releasing it.' I completely agreed with him, and within five days, the clip was out. Ever since its release, I haven’t stopped hearing about it from everywhere, continuously receiving regards from people who say it touched them, quoting its words at every opportunity. Hopefully, it will truly encourage and give strength to people."

(Credit: PR Nati Badash)

Tears and Hope

Finally, Ilson recounts a particularly moving performance he experienced during this period: "It was at the Western Wall, right in front of the walls. The ZAKA organization brought hundreds of its volunteers there, and as part of the event, invited me along with singers Yonatan Razel and Ishay Ribo to the moving gathering. We stood and sang there, and everyone around us cried and cried. We didn’t speak; I had nothing to say to the people who were the true angels in such a horrific disaster, dealing with all the sights etched in their hearts that can´t be erased, and yet we all tried to sing together. Songs of faith and hope. It was an event with so much meaning and hope, and I think that if there are moments I will take with me for the future, it´s exactly these moments from this event because they are unforgettable."