Yitzak Rabin 15th Annual Memorial

We had the unbelievable experience of performing in the Memorial Ceremony for Yitzak Rabin. Rabin was the Prime Minister of Israel twice, and brought this country the closest to peace it has ever been--before and after his assassination. He was essentially killed for making peace with the Arabs, by an Orthodox Jew. Knowing the battle of the Left and Right wing Jews makes this, in a sense, easier to "understand" why this man killed Rabin, and at the same time makes absolutely no sense. In a nut shell, most Orthodox and Hasidic Jews believe, "where there's a Jew, it is our land" So after the Holocaust, the government tried to put Jewish settlements all over Israel in hope that if there were enough of them, Israel would solely belong to the Jews. Problem is, the Arabs have been here even longer and consider Israel theirs. The Left Wing Jews, believe in establishing peace even if that means giving the Arabs some of the Jewish land. That is just the tip of the ice burg as far as the political issue but Rabin was for peace and compromise. At the end of the peace rally in 1995, he was shot by a man who believed this was the way to preserve the Jews. The in depth story makes me emotional every time I hear it.


Our director approached us two weeks ago telling us we had an amazing opportunity to be part of Israel and experience something very few will ever get to. We were excited to perform no matter what, then she threw in the kicker at the end. I quote and in all seriousness on her account, "You will perform in front of one thousand people. No wait, what's the one with six zeros after it? Oh, yes. One MILLION" I was sure she had to be exaggerating. Turns out she wasn't.


We drove down to Tel Aviv in our huge ass bus that we all love so much. Dana told us more about Rabin and his life on the drive. She was in the crowd the day he was shot and gave us her account of it and her feelings on the political matters. We listened to Israel's Song For Peace and got a translation of it, which is the song Rabin sang right before he was shot. They sing it every year at the end of the memorial. It was beautiful to know what was being sang in the square after an emotional night. Getting through security was "fun". We couldn't enter unless we had our passport and were on their list. I'm surprised I wasn't stripped searched. We were put in a tent with the other artist who were performing. I was playing with a little child near our tent and his father came up and started talking to me. He told me I was very good with children especially since I didn't speak Hebrew. When he walked away Dana came up to me and said, "You know that was one of the most famous singers in Israel?" Ha, I met more famous people in Israel then I will ever meet in my life...and they were just normal people to me. It was a good reminder that we are all humans and are amazing in our own way. Not because someone else says so. We met the President of Israel and the grandson of Rabin which was crazy. When we got on stage, I couldn't see the end of the audience. I say this because it was SILENT. These people embodied peace. It happens so often that at peace rallies people are rowdy, violent, and aggressive. These people were loving, respectful, and full of joy to be here standing for and remembering Rabin's cause. It made me cry to witness the peace of a nation that is "supposed" to be full of violence. I wish I could understand all that was said. We got some translation but it's not the real thing. At the end they played "Imagine" by John Lennon. I love that song, and it was so appropriate.


What we performed was very simple, just hand gestures. The government asked specifically for this section. It was perfect cause the space we had was tiny. I feel honored KCDC trusted us enough to let us be part of this and so excited for KCDC that they were asked to do this.


 I left with a heart full of love and memories I will remember forever.