1.
On Welcoming Shabbat in Israel - Remarks by Eli Rubenstein to Habonim’s Israel Solidarity Mission Click
HERE to read remarks
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Special Recording For Yom HaZikaron Brothers in Arms - Aviva Rajsky & Tom Bellman
https://youtu.be/Z00EKUKmOpI?si=aReLxnwdmhjOUQyWSee below for more details about song and recording.
Shabbat Shalom,
El Rubenstein
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For Yom HaZikaronBrothers in Arms - Aviva Rajsky & Tom Bellmanhttps://youtu.be/Z00EKUKmOpI?si=aReLxnwdmhjOUQyWAs the war continues to drag on in Gaza, my thoughts turn to “Brothers in Arms” an iconic peace/anti war anthem penned by Mark Knopfler in the 1980s. (Mark Knopfler’s Hungarian father, Erwin Knopfler, an architect and accomplished chess player, was a political prisoner during the 1930s. He fled his native his Hungary in 1939 to escape Nazi persecution.)
The song reminds us of the pain and futility of all the wars fought since the beginning of time. Like the prophet Isaiah’s wish for a time when “nations no longer raise up swords against nations”, Knopfler concludes his song with the plaintive yearning that one day humanity will finally realize this simple truth:
"We're fools to make war on our brothers in arms.”I first remember hearing "Brothers in Arms” in Israel at a Yom HaZikaron ceremony prepared by Israeli soldiers in memory of their courageous comrades who lost their lives defending Israel. As this year’s Yom HaZikaron approached I thought more and more about the war in Gaza and the message of this song's lyrics.
So, a few months ago, I asked Aviva and Tom to record their version of the song - and here is the link to their evocative and profoundly moving interpretation of “Brothers in Arms” that they recently recorded at Toronto’s Congregation Habonim.
As the loss of life during the Gaza conflict mounts along with the suffering that follows in its wake, the message of "Brothers in Arms” is worthy of reflecting upon - perhaps now more than ever.
Let us all hope that, in the coming days, all the Israeli hostages will return home, that the war in Gaza ends soon, and that a lasting peace descends upon Israel and her neighbours.
Eli Rubensten
