Berry Sakharof - The Other

A post I came across from the InDnegev festival: 25 years ago, Berry Sakharof's The Other was released, a special and different album, demanding and sometimes gloomy, released into a difficult and chaotic national atmosphere - terrorist attacks, exploding buses, and the Second Intifada.
Out of this chaos and difficulty, a glimmer of hope emerged from Sakharof's work through a gaze "towards the Other", inspired by the writings of the Jewish-French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas and the ethics he developed, based on a direct encounter with "the face of the Other". At times, this moral imperative is stated explicitly, at other moments in the album, it and its implications are implied and illustrated as an alternative to how 'Israeliness' deals with the complex reality.

The Other is a timeless work rooted in a very, very specific time, and it seems that even today the materials created a quarter of a century ago still resonate and are incredibly relevant to this current, confusing, and harsh period.

The decision we made to keep InDnegev in Mitzpe Gvulot and in the Gaza Envelope, taking part in the area's renewed flourishing, was quick and very clear, back in the dark days of October 2023.

And yet, throughout this whole period, we've grappled with the value of this decision and what it means: what is the message and meaning of our existential need to be here in this space, what we're able to do, and what our role is in this moment and in this time.

The Other holds within it many of the answers to the questions that occupied us during this period (and a few new ones...)

Engaging in creative work in a period of chaos, confusion, and pain, speaking and writing honestly and directly about reality as we experience and understand it, and constantly trying to direct an open and loving gaze at and about the other, not out of fear and terror, but out of the desire to discover the humanity in him and in us.

InDnegev strives to be an open and enabling space, capable of containing complexities and imagining the reality in which we would like to live. This year we have chosen to mark and to highlight this work as a central theme that will guide the festival, both internally and externally, and many of the artworks at the festival will focus on the Other.

We invite you to dive into this incredible work again, which even from the distance of time still sounds amazing, and to join us in the rebuilding of InDnegev, this year in its full format again.

I was only familiar with Monsoon, the only single from The Other, so I heard the album for the first time, and wow, it really blew me away. It was just what I needed to hear. Here is the complete album, with the help of translations from LyricsTranslate:

Movie

Day, day and night

You're in a different movie

Monsoon 

We'll burn time, we'll burn, burn / Everything that's between us

Let the moment pass / The past is still ahead of us

Just as I came, I left / It's all dreams

And maybe I wasn't there to love 

I must have forgotten / Maybe I went far

I can't love you from up close

The thirst for love / And a hunger that lasts

And there is a lily and there is a thorn in it / And a small scratch in the heart

Just as you came to me you left me / It's all dreams

And maybe you weren't there to love

I must have been forgotten / You went far

It must be like that in dreams

Trembling

The house is trembling over me

Wind from the sea, fire on the mountain

Crooked and disjointed

Here it begins, here it ends

Everyone is on their feet

Half a pill, half erased

Time is split in two

The clock ticks backwards

And I see double

A black and white light of illusions

The house is trembling over me, swaying side to side

And it seems that in the meantime

The Messiah is waiting for an invitation

On the cellphone, in the bizarre

In a dream and in hope

The house is trembling over me

A crack is bleeding from the ceiling

The fear in the eyes

And the heart, the heart is in a suitcase

Smoke on the water

The sun is gray, the light is blocked

The noise in the ears

The sweat that sticks to the body

And I see double...

Dust on the Shoes

It's so nice to just walk / As if we were never here

In light steps on the sidewalk / Let the streets clean you

There is a bustle all around / Like bees when springtime arrives

Sometimes it seems we are not alone / Or I am you, we are everyone

We are everyone

There are those who hide their horns / And others who have glued wings to themselves

Walking to the beat, everyone on their feet / Left right, right and left, dust on the shoes

There is a bustle all around / Like bees when springtime arrives

Sometimes it seems we are not alone / Or I am you, we are everyone

We are everyone

Madness Again 

Madness again / Drilling in my head

From the closet / The demon escapes

Just like that, suddenly / The rope broke

In an ancient fervor / The dam was breached

Someone said (these are) the birth pangs of the Messiah/ Today it burns (but tomorrow) tomorrow it will grow

What is hidden from you promises / That the answer my friend is blowing in the wind

No solution / is certain

The horizon is close / The wound is open

Again the dream / Is caught in the net

And into the imagination / Reality invades

Someone said..

Seeing but Not Seeing

And these are the days / nights of canned goods / eyes up and down and sideways / seeing but not seeing / so little is necessary / so much is needed / moving moving moving / lost in relationships / and the love boat / shows only reruns / on those days / the heart is locked up / converting the pain into the pain of others / the heart is locked up / they go and sing / an anthem to indifference / a voice still in the heart gets lost / seeing but not seeing / in a sea of holes / the whole is always greater than the sum of parts / mine is his is yours / yours is not mine / it doesn't matter / you and I, they've said it before / it doesn't matter / just a tool

The Other

Let the mouth speak

Let the tongue release

With the face to the other

Who you did not know

The train will whistle

It's time to get on

The carriage of the spirits

That you forgot

So do not be afraid

And do not look from the sidelines

Because you are not alone in the world

With the face towards the other

You will discover yourself

With the face towards the other

The barrier will break

The word will bridge

The enemy is a friend

Who you neglected

So do not be afraid

And do not look from the sidelines

Because you are not alone in the world

With the face

Towards the other

I Surrender to You

You can never see the signs

Of the angels on the lines

What's already etched like a letter

On the faces of the go-getters

Not on my face, no, not at all

Because you tell me to heed your call

And in this world there's no distance

From you to me that can't be missed

I leave so I can return once more

Swift as a heart, bright as a light's allure

Give up on me, give up..

Please...

I descend to the ships below

Caught up in all the storms that blow

Tell me what

Tell me what's with you?

I'm choking amidst the debris

Breathing deep the waves of the sea

Tell me what

Tell me what's with you?

Your voice is like childhood days

Too strong, refusing to phase

With you, it'll be hard to die

Foolish to sink in pain's lie

The day fades without compromise

The blindness of the nights' disguise

Strikes forever its fears in vain

I'm tired of this hunger's strain

I leave so I can return once more

Broken like a heart, weak like a light's allure

Give up on me, give up...

Please...

I escape outside of time's hold

And you pull me back, so bold

I surrender

I surrender to you

The love that doesn't let go

This body, why is it torn so?

I surrender

I surrender to you

I descend to the ships below

Caught up in all the storms that blow

I'm choking amidst the debris

Casting deep the waves of the sea

I surrender

I surrender to you

Brilliant translation by Pentas

There Is, There Is, There Is

An array of colors above the water

Good morning, skies

There is, there is, there is

Glasses, shoes

Teeth marks

There is, there is, there is

This is how we pass

Through all kinds of things

This is how we know

Chocolate bars

The memory is still sweet

Who is alone and who is together

We have no fear

None, none, none

There is a place, there is a time

And there are all kinds of things

In motion every time

Like always...

City of Refuge 

A stunning cover to Ehud Banai's classic.

Before this drizzle turns into a flood

I must find an unlocked gate

Because the blues came back to me again

I must leave, I must move

On the winding road between Acre and Safed

In Tiberias on the dock, I go all the way down to Eilat

Cast out, fleeing, seeking a city of refuge

Cast out, fleeing, seeking - a city of refuge

Out on the horizon, the distant lights sparkle

I will get there with my last bit of strength

And you, wait for me at the entrance and turn on the light

A man returns to you from the frost

Take me to the altar, before I break

And until the truth comes out I will hide in you

Because you, yes you, will be my - city of refuge

Yes, until the truth comes out I will hide in you

Until the storm passes and the ice breaks

Until a flowing spring opens and gushes forth

Until the judge comes and acquits us

You, yes you, will be my - city of refuge

Master of the Universe

This haunting song was written by Bari Hazak, Z"'L, a soldier who fell in the Yom Kippur War.

Please amplify the strength of your signal

I can't hear you over here, I don't know

Did you stick a piece of shrapnel in the antenna's lapel again?

You're so gentle

Why are you so soft?

Why are you so civil?

Do I sound clear? Over,

Over, you're breaking up too

You sound injured, you're

In a valley well-surrounded

By mountains and a different Kinneret

Please announce the strength of your signal

Can't see your face on the radar

Why aren't you driving a half-track?

Why aren't you fighting?

Should I send a motorized patrol your way?

I am certain

That it won't arrive and won't return

A black wound

Please lower the strength of your signal

The treetops of the cypresses

Are whispering your name in vain as evening falls

And the lonely Northern Star

Where will it steer your army of wagons?

Where will it lead you with them?

Please close your eyes

I hear you now, Roger

You can finally die

Bereaved father, I can no longer feel

The tears of winter will say Kaddish for you

The End

Sagui Dekel-Chen - Minus One

"I'm not a singer, I'm a father who sings. I never intended to be a singer or to sing. I was kidnapped, they took everything from me. I woke up there in a hospital with a bandaged hand that didn't respond, a leg in a cast, handcuffed to a bed, they even took my earring. What they didn't take, simply because they didn't know, was the real strength from within. It helped me maintain hope, health, and sanity. Music was there for me in the most difficult moments: songs by others that played in my head. After a few months in captivity, I found myself starting to create songs. I couldn't write them; I memorized the words in my head. I couldn't play or sing them, so I just imagined the melodies.

On February 15, 2025, I was released from captivity. After two days, at night, in a hospital (the right one), I went to a side room and, with a voice like a toad without oxygen, quietly, even with a little shame, I recorded all nine songs on my phone, lyrics and melody. A few weeks later, I decided that one day I would perform the songs in a show. That day was postponed due to medical matters, rehabilitation, family, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and mainly because I couldn't allow myself to perform like this when there were still hostages I left behind.

After a long journey, this day has arrived. Today the music will be released, first of all in a concert - and then the entire album will be released to the world. It is no coincidence that I am doing the first show here in Nir Oz, in my home. This is the same lawn on which I ran all my childhood, the lawn on which I met Mili for the first time, the lawn on which I raised two daughters, the lawn on which I fought, and the lawn where my friends fell. This is a lawn with a different green. This is the lawn on which there were happy events in the past; since then, mainly funerals. Today's event is not a celebration, not a party, not a closing of a circle, not a victory; it is simply part of the story. Even though I chose not to return to live in Nir Oz, the kibbutz is very important to me, and I hope it will be rebuilt with new life; I hope this event will be a cornerstone of its foundations. This is also your story. Thank you for coming."

These are the words written by Sagui Dekel-Chen from a booklet given to the 3,000 attendees at his show at Nir Oz last Monday, along with the lyrics to his songs. So much has been said about the show and how moving it was, but I want to share the words that Itay Mautner, the director of the show, shared last week in a post:

"For one evening, Kibbutz Nir Oz was full of life...

3,000 people filled the saddest lawn in the world. A lawn that knew a normal, pleasant, and beautiful life before that Saturday (and not only, of course), and since October 7th has simply lost signs of life. Make no mistake about it: Nir Oz has a present, and there is growth, and there are all sorts of beautiful words, but mourning prevails in everything; the horror is on the paths, and in general almost all of the residents have not returned.

On Monday evening, a member of the kibbutz, Sagui Dekel-Chen, took to an amazing stage with talented musicians and delicate screens and sang the songs he wrote in the tunnels.

The songs are moving and delicate and beautiful, but this evening was not only tested musically. Underneath the moving two and a quarter hours, there hid an undercurrent which was present throughout the way - it's simply unbelievable! It's unbelievable that he's alive, that his daughters and beloved Mili are with us, that his mother (who was also kidnapped and escaped from them) is there. And many more friends and supporters. A packed lawn, from heart to heart. 

It's simply unfathomable, and throughout the show you are constantly reminded of this terrible/joyful fact.

I had the privilege of directing the show and working closely with Sagui and Mili. Throughout the entire process, I was careful not to turn this evening into another symbol of the government's false 'redemption', another moment of so-called unity.

It was a joyful evening that does not ignore the sadness. A colorful evening that sees all the black. An evening packed with people that sees the pit. 

Thank you very much for the privilege of taking part in an evening like this. For the opportunity to create moments of catharsis in front of people who, for too long, have worked to achieve the obvious - to bring our sons and daughters home.

And it was a tremendous evening that showed that music knows how to enter the wounded heart and does a dazzling job of polishing it.

Thank you to the wonderful Sagui, Oren Arnan, the hero from Shuki Weiss, to Michal and Daphna and Uri from the Israel Festival who invited, accompanied, and supported me, to the many friends who came to be with us on the grass...

I won

Now there is only one important job to do at the end of October, and we are on the right track".

I was curious to hear Sagui's songs the moment I heard about the show, and I was eager to listen to the entire album, Minus One. Some moments brought tears to my eyes, but there were also many moments of joy, celebrating the precious, ordinary moments of life. Here they are, track by track:

Song of Songs

All the songs, from all the years

Are playing in my head now one after another.

For each tune,

There is also a picture

Listen, I am singing them now to you quietly.

Love songs, with short sentences

That's how we fell in love when we were teens.

"Under the Sky"

We don't let go of our hands

We sent promises and dreams in letters.

Vacation songs, they remind me of a feeling

A caravan, a mountain, the sea, snow, a campfire.

"Getting on a flight"

I remember the whole journey

To sing songs of freedom from here is a terribly difficult thing.

Songs in two voices, in the car with the girls

I remember when we drove to Dimona on Rosh Hashanah Eve

"You'll see how good it will be"

We sang out loud, now I'm singing in silence

I remember the chorus from Friday in the living room,

Drinking chocolate milk and coffee and listening to happy songs.

"Little Gifts"

We danced with the girls

I also remember the smell of cake and a lovers' kiss.

Now I sing because what's even left?

It's love that reminds me how to breathe.

"Sad Roses"

Now the tears are falling.

I promise to return home to complete the dream.

"Imagine, in the middle of a beautiful day, I'll suddenly return"

Simply a Simple Day

Last night we met by accident.

No special occasion, simply a simple day.

You said, "I'm here on the lawn playing with the girls

Make two coffees and come to the swings."

You welcomed me with a smile and a kiss

And three beautiful girls are jumping on me with joy

Saying, "There's a picnic today, we invited friends.

We'll bring pizza and dessert and blue skies."

I don't know how, we suddenly got to the showers

They want foam on the beard and tickles with towels.

Each one chose a story, the same one every day

Now there's only three of us, me and you and the dream

And suddenly I woke up, alone in sadness

I'm left with half a smile from you.

I just wanted to dream for two more minutes or so

Wait for me, and in another moment we will meet again by accident

Wait for me, and in another moment we will meet again by accident

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall asleep

I waited so much to see your faces

I hope tonight too we will meet again by accident

No special event, simply a simple day

And suddenly I woke up, alone in sadness

I'm left with half a smile from you.

I just wanted to dream for two more minutes or so

Wait for me, and in another moment we will meet again by accident

Wait for me, and in another moment we will meet again by accident

Simply a simple day

I Don't Know Your Name Yet

I haven't sung you a goodnight song yet.

I haven't brought you in for a close, close hug.

We haven't had a sleepless night, I haven't gotten a little burp out of you yet.

We haven't touched our noses together yet, you haven't pulled my beard yet.

We haven't walked to the field of flowers yet.

I haven't introduced you to all the friends yet.

A Saturday picnic in the orchard, that's not to be missed.

I haven't made you milk yet, you haven't spilled my coffee yet.

But in my thoughts

I feel your breath.

I imagine eyes with the calm of the skies.

I'm on my way to you,

Take care of your mother and your sisters.

And when you look out the window, send me a first smile,

I don't know your name yet...

I haven't dressed you in a white dress yet.

And in fact, we don't have any pictures together yet.

I haven't made you a bed yet.

I haven't bought you a gift yet.

I haven't kissed you at night when you are asleep.

But in my thoughts

I feel your breath.

I imagine eyes with the calm of the skies.

I'm on my way to you,

Take care of your mother and your sisters.

And when you look out the window, send me a first smile,

I don't know your name yet...

I don't know your name yet...

Tell me, what is your name?

A Bag of Hearts

I once read in fairy tales

About a beautiful girl, golden hair, kind blue eyes.

She was different from all the others, 

Because she went everywhere with a bag full of hearts.

And she gave them to everyone around her,

To family and neighbors, to every friend, boy or girl.

And she decorated each heart, and on the back she wrote:

I love you too, no reason needed!

And if you see the girl from the story

Call her Bar or Berry or Barbur

I once read in folktales

About an eight-story chocolate castle.

At the top was a girl, the queen of all cures,

Because one hug from her solved all problems.

So she hugged everyone who was looking for joy,

Everyone wanted a hug, even the princess.

She hugged everyone who was in trouble.

She also hugged a sad mother.

I once read in monster stories

About a superhero girl with all kinds of powers.

Math exercise powers while doing a cartwheel.

A tent city with friends every day in the middle of the living room.

And you can't beat her superpowers,

She's smart, creative, talented, she's a producer.

And if you ever get caught in a rescue mission

Dial 284... Super B is on her way.

And then you'll see the girl from the story

Call her Bar or Berry or Barbur

I call her Berry

Thank You for Mili

Most of the time I write songs about you,

There's about a whole drawer.

Most of the time I think about what your eyes will say,

How do you catch butterflies of 20 years?

We saw the world, we broke waves, coffee on the moon, barefoot.

You taught me how to smile, how to talk, how to hug.

How can I explain to you what you are to me?

Thank you for Mili, she's everything to me.

Maybe you'll understand, maybe you'll believe

Thank you for Mili, she's my luck.

Most of the time I remember the warmth of your hands, from long ago

Then under the light in the corner.

We coordinated our breaths, we kissed on the lips

I've kept the taste for 20 years now.

I fell in love with all the colors, a dress and bangs, a pearl necklace.

Then you smiled a little smile, a rainbow appeared.

You brought me the sun as a gift.

Most of the time I imagine your beauty,

I also made you a crown of daisies.

I drew you on a background of happiness,

The three hearts are climbing on you.

Thank you for Mili, she is everything to me.

Maybe you'll understand, maybe you'll believe

Thank you for Mili, she's my luck.

Thank you for Mili, my Mili

My Corner

Yesterday they hung a mirror in the cell, on the bars.

I approached slowly, we hadn't seen each other for months.

I saw a few scars, there were some I hadn't seen.

I saw a few glances, a sad look I didn't recognize.

So I went back to my corner

Then I stood up, maybe we'll look from afar.

We'll slowly get to know each other, it's okay to be quiet for a while.

I saw a man standing hunched over, his hand hanging down, leaning to the right.

He seemed a little lost to me, he wasn't looking ahead.

So I went back to my corner

Why does a mirror just show a tired wrapper

When in fact everything inside is broken?

If that's all they see in you, we'll spread makeup on you.

At night I woke up, I approached shyly.

Let's talk alone, quietly, honestly.

I saw a strong man who is weak, he won't be able to hug.

I saw a strong man who is weak, he won't be able to get stronger.

So I went back to my corner

Why does a mirror just show a tired wrapper

When in fact everything inside is broken?

If that's all they see in you, we'll spread makeup on you.

In the morning, I woke up with wet eyes.

I stood in front of the mirror, asking about the girls.

Don't worry, they're all fine, relax, wash your face.

I'll remind you who you are, I have pictures, I have stories.

That's how we became friends,

Sharing scars, tears, pictures, and stories.

The Smile Factory

Every day a bit after the sunrise I push myself out of the blanket,

I see little Gali sleeping diagonally.

I go out on my tiptoes into a few seconds of silence,

And already from between all the sheets the smile factory comes out.

We go to the kindergarten either skipping or on a tricycle,

She notices every flower or just a stone or a bird.

And then she hears the sounds of a nearby tractor,

She already runs, "maybe it's Tata", we steal a good morning smile.

And when she begins: la

With her magic: la

Even without a word: la

Everyone smiles at her

She returns home, and even before the door shuts

She's at a party or hide-and-seek or makes a cake in the mud.

Then she wants a trip to the pool or to the horses across the street

And then to the playground, she'll create smiles there.

And when she begins: la

With her magic: la

Even without a word: la

Everyone smiles at her

It's time to go to sleep, she wants one last song,

About the girl who travels in a club car and a quad bike.

A few more caresses and it's already the sleep of the angels,

Because tomorrow, a bit after sunrise, the smile factory will be up.

And again she begins: la

With her magic: la

Even without a word: la

Everyone smiles at her

A Letter to Arik

Between the dark and the hidden in our bitter world

They say there is still hope, it's called love

And wait for it to arrive

Hey Arik, it's me.

We don't know each other, I just wanted to say thank you

For all the words, the melodies, I opened them in a tunnel.

"Between the dark and the hidden in our bitter world"

Did you check before you sang that - "there is a solution to disaster"?

Because I've been here for a year already, running from place to place, with a bag of hope.

Amidst longing, despair, anxiety, I have 70 kilos of love

Which I guard, because I remember

You told me that:

I have love in me and it will wake up and touch

I have love in me and it will win

Show me the "light at the end", just for a moment, even if it is far away.

I want to escape the tears, yesterday I even tried to laugh a little.

A cold night in front of concrete, imagining stars; there is one there, and there, and there,

I tell of "dreams of deer" to my four loves.

Whom I guard, because I remember

You told me that:

I have love in me and it will wake up and touch

I have love in me and it will win

The Song for Me

This song is for me,

No one wants to tell a story like mine.

Memories I don't want to remember,

Everything that happened after the light went out.

It contains thoughts that are hard to think about,

There's nowhere to run, maybe the end is near.

What could I have done? Maybe I had a choice.

They're shooting at my family, there's no way back.

They took me, bleeding and sad.

They took a happy life, when will I see you again?

When I'm in pain, hungry, scared, lonely and cold

I whisper to myself again, "Dad doesn't break".

With every longing I talk to you,

Tell me if you smiled today, it will comfort me.

Tell me about the kindergarten, the school, the baby, the hope?

Tell me if I left you enough love.

I wrote a song for each one, but it's not a sign.

It collects my tears, it collects the time.

A part of me gets stronger, recovers a little,

A part of me remains on Saturday morning.

Afraid to sing difficult words.

Afraid of the nightmares, afraid of screams.

Afraid of not coming back - there is a growing noise

But I'm afraid most of all of returning to an empty house.

Afraid of not coming back - there is a growing noise

But I'm afraid most of all of returning to an empty house.

Tyto Alba - Where to Return

Magical ♥

He draws away and hides his eyes

The wind is singing, 

She is coming now.

A lit road,

He goes and never returns.

A lit road,

A glance behind him.

He folds the rest of his strength

The wind is singing,

Autumn is already over.

A lit road,

He goes and never returns.

A lit road,

A glance behind him.

There will be nowhere to return to.

There is no more reason to look back

linktr.ee/tytoalba.music

Amit Dagan - The Mulberry Tree

 

My favorite song from Amit Dagan's soulful new album Ground Floor.

On Friday, I read the newspaper
Four hundred thousand people went out to the Ayalon

And I care about it, but I have no solution

In any case, everyone knows what's right

Sometimes I look out the window

Like looking at reality from within imagination

What is sanity and what is madness

Is it in me or is reason outside

So I went out to the mulberry tree in the yard

There I am not in a hurry

And I have no worries

And I knew that time doesn't really stop

Soon all this will be over

I have no choice

And I look enviously

At the children in the yard

Trampoline, swings, and rope

And for years I don't know what to say

Everything feels worn out, stale, and unnecessary

They say not to cry over what has passed

And that you should look towards tomorrow

When a day passes, it gives me an opportunity for another day

And a new day offers itself to support, to lean on

I need to hold on tight, not to leave, not to let go

I need me now, I need a friend now

So I went out...

Amalia Small - Tides

 

So lovely. Amalia Small's new album Something New is out now, and it's such a great listen. A ray of sunshine to save for a cloudy day.

Sky's on your shoulder
Getting older

Way back home the way back home

When you near it must believe it

To the bone right through the bone

And you

Love the cold winds

And tides tire, and tides tired eyes

When we tried a feeling see the unseen

Under my skin kisses of gin

Wounds unspoken can't seem to open

What do you mean when you're saying that you

Love the cold winds

That you love the cold winds

And tides tire and tides tired eyes

Afraid to lose it can't seem to choose it

A question pouring

Waking the dream

Sky's on your shoulder

Feeling bolder way back home

The way back home

Taftir - Tavasim

 

So good ♥

batov.lnk.to/OdLaylaBaAyara

The Idan Raichel Project - Out of the Depths

 

Mazal Tov Sasha and Sapir! Sasha and Sapir were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th while they were visiting Sasha's family. His mother Yelena, and his grandmother Irena Tati were also kidnapped, and his father, Vitaly, was murdered by Hamas terrorists. The three women were released after about 50 days, and Sasha was released in February 2025 and had to undergo extensive medical treatments due to untreated injuries to his legs, where he was shot by the terrorists.

It was so emotional to see the couple walk down the aisle and start their married life together. Under the chuppah, Sasha shared why they chose to walk down the aisle to this beautiful song by the Idan Raichel Project. He said that he was isolated in captivity and one day, at around day 50, when he was at his lowest, one of the guards had left behind a small radio. He was afraid to use it and would only listen to it for a few minutes at night and at the lowest volume, to try to understand what was going on. And then he heard this song, with the chillingly accurate lyrics calling out from the depths and he thought of Sapir. May they build a joyous home together with love, light, and laughter ♥

Out of the depths I called to you, come to me

When you return, the light will return to my eyes

Unfinished, your touch does not leave

May it come and shine at the sound of your laughter.

Out of the depths I called to you, come to me

Beneath the moon that lights your way back to me

They spread out and melted at the touch of your hands

A whisper in your ear asks

Who is calling you tonight? - Listen

Who sings to you - at your window?

Who devotes his soul so you will be happy?

Who puts his hand to building your home?

Who will place his very life beneath you?

Who will live like dust at your feet?

Who will love you more than all your lovers?

Who will save you from every evil spirit?

Out of the depths.

Out of the depths I called to you, come to me

Beneath the moon that lights your way back to me

They spread out and melted at the touch of your hands

A whisper in your ear asks

Who is calling you tonight?