I am not sure if you’ve heard or not, but there is a powerful movement sweeping the nation. The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has launched a beautiful program designed to erase division and to improve the relationships that we have. The “Shalom Challenge” is a 4-week series of inspiration and tools that will help eliminate conflict and enable peace, so I thought it would wise to jump on before the train got too far from the station.
I find it to be one of life’s oddities that we don’t ever feel the need to hear how important achdus is, and yet….. we most definitely need to hear how important achdus is. We have covered the topic extensively over the past year, so I do not wish to waste your time with another written thought. Especially when we can substitute these words with a song that will say what needs to be said, and then some.
When it comes to music, there’s an almost unending array of songs that speak to this integral ideal. Ironically, there is more than one achdus-themed song to choose from, which made this a bit more difficult. In fact, the “Shalom Challenge” initiative was even accompanied by a gorgeous production produced by the industry’s Ace of Hartz, Doni Gross, and sung by both Benny Friedman and Joey Newcomb. If you would like to receive the moving music video or the audio track, please feel free to PM me for a copy.
But for today’s song, I wanted to go back to a classic that continues to inspire generations of Yidden all across the globe. I am referring to the song To Love A Fellow Jew from the 1982 record called Wake Up Yid’n. The album was a project of Camp Gan Yisroel of Montreal, and features the debut recording of native Montrealer, Avraham Rosenberg and his Tzlil V’Zemer Boys Choir.
This the first time we got to hear soloist, and future superstar Mendy Wald show off his world-class talent, beginning his career as one of Tzlil V’Zemer’s premier voices. In fact, Avraham Rosenberg’s music career actually got its start in Camp Gan Yisroel as well, as he would often teach newly composed songs to the entire camp and lead the choirs in their cheers. And yes, for those wondering, this record was a full two years before Tzlil V’Zemer’s Volume One, which was released in the winter of 1984.
Now, if the melody sounds familiar, it may be because you have heard it by its original name, Karev Yom. This song was composed around 1970 by the Hornosteipler Rebbe of Milwaukee, Reb Michel Twerski, shlit”a to the words of the well-known Pesach seder piyut, and was officially released as such on Volume 2 of The Music of Rabbi Michel Twerski in 1998. Reb Michel is obviously someone who understands his mission; not only to help and guide those around him, but to help further the increase the peace in this world.
And so, in my opinion, the fact that this is a niggun of Reb Michel’s makes this song and its message even more meaningful. The English lyrics were written by R’ Sholom Ber Bryski, R’ Shmuel Greisman & R’ Yosef Munitz, staff members of Camp Gan Yisroel, and in 1972, the song was used as the Grand Song by the color war team named “Ahavas Yisroel.” Ever since that moment, it has become a worldwide favorite, and an everlasting anthem of achdus.
{You can also hear this song cleverly inserted into a Tomer Adaddi composition called Hareini sung by the dynamic Benny Friedman on his 2019 album, Kulanu Nelech. Hareini is an upbeat dance song all about Ahavas Yisroel and encourages us – you guessed it – To Love A Fellow Jew}
Lyrics:
To love a fellow Jew
just the same as you
is the basis of our holy Torah
Though he’s far from me
across the widest sea
still I always love him just the same
For 70, 80 years
a Neshoma wears and tears
just to do a favor for another
Love him with all your heart
the heavens spread apart
for every Jew is really our brother
0 Comments