Songs of Collective Memory
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EIN LACH MA LID'OG (אין לך מה לדאוג) | YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
UZI FUCHS
“Ein Lach Ma Lid’Og,” also known as “Shilchi Li Tachtonim VeGufiyot” (the first words of the chorus), depicts the lives of IDF soldiers on the front lines during the Yom Kippur War and the battles that ensued. Upon its release, the song became a hit, ranking fifth in Kol Israel’s annual Hebrew song chart for 1974. Uzi Fuchs frequently performed the song at events with other artists in front of soldiers on the battlefield. The song became associated with the memory of the war, and decades later, it is still occasionally heard on radio stations.
EIN LACH MA LID'OG (אין לך מה לדאוג) | YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
ESTER RADA | YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
In October 2023, Ester Rada recorded a new version of the 1974 song “Ein Lach Ma Lid’Og” from the perspective of female IDF soldiers as part of a campaign by the Miluimiot community (women serving in the reserves) that highlights the contribution of female soldiers, police officers, and fighters on the front lines.
U’ME’POH NAKUM (ומפה נקום) | AND FROM HERE WE WILL RISE
ARTISTS FROM RISING STAR
When the war started, prime-time television shows stopped; there was nothing but news on TV. The first show to come back was “HaKokhav HaBa La’Erovision” (The Rising Star to Eurovision), a show similar to The Voice and American Idol, but with the goal of choosing the next singer to represent Israel in the Eurovision song contest. Production on the show started in September 2023, but stopped when the war began. When the show started up again in late-November 2023, the producers decided to broadcast the already-recorded episodes to be true to who these singers had been when they initially auditioned.
By the end of December, the final 14 singers were selected and together they performed “U’me’poh Nakum” (“ומפה נקום”) (And From Here We Will Rise), a song written for the occasion by poet and songwriter Noam Horev and singer-songwriter Idan Raichel. The video was filmed in Kibbutz Shefayim, where the evacuees of Kibbutz Kfar Azza were staying at the time, and featured the 14 contestants as well as some of the displaced families. Ultimately, the song is a hopeful one, listing many of the moments—mundane and holy alike—that Israelis will one day be able to experience again.
EIN LEZEH LE’AN (אין לזה לאן) | THERE IS NOWHERE FOR IT TO GO
FULL TRUNK
“There is Nowhere For It to Go,” which appears on Full Trunk’s most recent album, places a spotlight on an issue not often addressed in popular culture: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The band’s lead singer, Gal Nisman, has been vocal about his struggle with PTSD as a former member of Israel’s SWAT team. Through his music and the band’s popularity, he’s been able to draw more attention to this important issue. According to Nisman:
“I started writing this song almost two years ago. It was the first of all the songs on the album because I felt at the time that it was going to be the last thing I had to say in my series of songs dealing with experiences, thoughts, and questions about post-combat trauma. I wanted to finish saying everything I had on the subject in order to make space in my heart for other topics that I also wanted to touch on, explore, and write about.”
“So many of us have gone through, are going through, and will go through things that the soul is too small to contain and process in real-time, if ever at all. I hope [this song] will find its way to anyone left with many questions and a feeling that they are not who they were before October 7.”
CHOREF 23 (23 חורף) | WINTER 23
ODEYA AND E-Z
“Choref 23” (“23 חורף”) came out on October 22, less than two weeks after the October 7 massacres. It describes feelings many Israelis felt during the attack still feel today.
CHOREF 73 (חורף 73) | WINTER 73
EDUCATION CORPS BAND
“Winter of ‘73” is a song originally performed by the Education Corps Band. The song is a poignant tribute to the Yom Kippur War, which took place in October 1973. The lyrics reflect the deep emotions and lasting impact of the war on those who lived through it, focusing specifically on the perspective of the children born in the winter of ‘73, after the war. The song was written in 1994, around the time of the Oslo Accords, and juxtaposes the themes of the toll of bloody wars with the hope for peace.
BAMAKOM BO ANI GAR (במקום בו אני גר) | THE PLACE WHERE I LIVE
JIMBO J
“Bamakom Bo Ani Gar” (“במקום בו אני גר”), by Jimbo J, depicts both the blessings and challenges of living in Israel, and specifically in the Gaza Envelope. Ironically, the song was written prior to October 7, after which the lyrics bear a much stronger, chilling meaning.
SHALVA B'ARMONOTECHA (שלווה בארמונותיך) | SERENITY IN YOUR PALACES
RAVID PLOTNIK
Ravid Plotnik, arguably the most popular hip-hop artist in Israel, wrote “Serenity in Your Palaces” in 2021 as part of his most recent album. The song represents a pivot from Plotnik’s usual style, integrating words of prayer from Tehillim (Psalms) with a slower, more relaxed beat. In the aftermath of October 7, the song gained much renewed popularity thanks to its message of prayer for hope, with words that touch upon both our deepest feelings, and some of our core texts.
CANAAN (12 MERAGLIM) (כנען (12 מרגלים)) | CANAAN (12 SPIES)
SHLOMI SHABAN, RAVID PLOTNIK, SHULI RAND
“Canaan” (12 Spies) is a song written and composed by singer-songwriter and pianist Shlomi Shaban. In the song, which uses an unusual combination of Chabad Nigunim (tunes) and modern Israeli hip-hop, Shaban tells the Biblical story of the 12 Spies sent by Moses to the land of Canaan to scout its prospects. The lyrics are a conversation between Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, each of whom is referred to by the first letter of their name, just as one would address modern Israeli secret service agents. The song, through a back and forth dialogue, raises difficult questions that resonate in our lives today, especially for those thinking about Israel and its future: How does a leader know when to quit? Who was promised the Land of Israel? What is the land at all? And what is the meaning of a promise? Of words themselves?
This song exemplifies how art gives life to stories, and how it uses these same stories to inspire us in our own daily lives.
MOLEDET (מולדת) | BIRTHPLACE
HANAN BEN ARI
Hanan Ben Ari released “Moledet” (״מולדת״), “Birthplace,” which explores how Israelis have pulled together in times of difficulty. Ben Ari said, “This song is dedicated to my nation. The one that we’ll create again when all this is over.”
LO LEVAD (לא לבד) | NOT ALONE
JANE BORDEAUX
Doron Talmon, lead singer of Jane Bordeaux, wrote a new song, “Lo Levad” (“לא לבד”), meaning “Not Alone,” to help process the October 7 attacks. In the video, she opens with a brief poem about the emotions people are feeling after the attacks.
T'FILAT HADERECH (תפילת הדרך) | THE TRAVELER'S PRAYER
SHAI TSABARI
In “T’filat Haderech” (“תפילת הדרך”), “The Traveler’s Prayer,” Shai Tsabari blends the traditional blessing with present-day challenges, offering comfort and unity to Israelis since October 7.
LASHUV HABAITAH (לשוב הביתה) | TO RETURN HOME
ISHAI RIBO
“Lashuv Habaitah” (“לשוב הביתה”), released by Ishai Ribo in 2017, reached #2 on the charts. Since October 7, its poignant lyrics have been interpreted as a passionate hope for captives’ safe return.
ANA, ANA, ANA (אנא, אנא, אנא) | PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
SHAI TSABARI
A translation of Leonard Cohen’s “Lover, Lover, Lover,” “Ana, Ana, Ana” is a prayer, a plea for the return of one’s lover, as repeated by the first line in the chorus—“Ana, ana, ana, ahuvah na chizri elai”—“Please, please, please, return to me, my love.”
KOL HAZMAN HAZEH (כל הזמן הזה) | ALL THIS TIME
RAVID PLOTNIK
While this song speaks of a relationship gone and of the loneliness that is left behind, the main line of the chorus receives new meaning in this new context: “Vekol Hazman Hazeh, Hayiti Levad”—“And all this time, I was alone, all this time.”
HAKOL KOREH LEYADI (הכל קורה לידי) | EVERYTHING HAPPENS NEXT TO ME
GIL BAR HADAS
Hakol Koreh Leyadi tells the story of a man observing his life as it passes him by. He seems to be in a state of suspension, disconnected from his own life, leading some to associate the song with the plight of those Israelis and other nationalities held hostage.
YAMIM SHEL SHEKET (ימים של שקט) | DAYS OF QUIET
LOLA
Written in 2000 by a band member grieving her father’s death, Yamim Shel Sheket became an anthem of the difficult days of the Second Intifada. The song calls and prays for better times with the line “Hineh Hem Ba’im, Yamim Shel Sheket”—“Here they come, quiet days,” days we all hope for in this terrible time.
EIZEH YOM (איזה יום) | WHAT A DAY
DUDU TASSA
Eizeh Yom is a moving song of desperation, of exhaustion. Its lyrics convey a feeling of hopelessness that many are feeling at this time:
“Eizeh yom avar alai, ze ktzat yoter mi’dai… ein pitaron kan… ein pitaron kal”
“Oh what a day it has been, it is a bit too much to handle… there’s no solution here… no easy solution.”
KOCHAVIM BASHAMAYIM (כוכבים בשמיים) | STARS IN THE SKY
SHAI TSABARI
Shai Tsabari’s “Kochavim Bashamayim” (“כוכבים בשמיים”) allows us to reflect on October 7’s aftermath, exploring hope amidst despair. The song celebrates bravery and unity while acknowledging the daunting uncertainty of the future.
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