In this episode of “Song of Hope”, Israeli singer of Ethiopian origin Ester Rada talks about the music that holds together her Israeli, Jewish and Ethiopian identity and performs the song that has been accompanying her since the beginning of this war.
Rada was born in 1985 in Kiryat Arba, on the outskirts of Hebron. Her religious Ethiopian-Jewish parents, originally from a village near Gondar – known as the “Camelot of Africa” – came to Israel shortly before Ester was born, having been rescued from a refugee camp in Sudan during Operation Moses.
After singing as a child in the Sheba Choir – a choir of Ethiopian children led by musician Shlomo Gronich – Rada discovered new sounds, especially funk and hip-hop, through olim from France she met after moving with her family to Netanya. Her music, naturally, is a mix of many different identities and cultures, and it certainly appealed to audiences abroad. Rada performed outside of Israel for many years, and as an Israeli singer she had to cope with protesters.
As early as 2017, she told the press about BDS activists trying to prevent her shows in Europe. However, as she attested, when she steps on stage and they see her for the first time, they are dumbfounded. They never expect to see a black woman. They think to themselves, “I like black people, what should I do?”. As far as identity politics go, Rada causes much confusion abroad, but she herself isn’t confused. She simply stands on stage and says: “I came here from Israel, and I came to give you love”.
This is also the message of the song she chose to sing in this episode. Being a black Jewish woman, she selected the perfect song. Lema'an Achai Vere'ai (“For the Sake of My Brothers and Friends”), based on a verse from Tehillim (122:8), the Book of Psalms, which simply says “For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be with you’”, was composed and previously performed by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Jewish folk singer and spiritual figure Carlebach honed his musical style in the 1960s, after befriending iconic singer and civil rights activist, Nina Simone, whom Rada admires. This is how this ancient liturgic text of brotherhood, peace and love received its melody, which many years later gives Rada – and her fans – so much comfort.
Israel in general has a long history with this song. It became a symbol of the battle for freedom fought for the Jews behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s. Carlebach even performed in Russia, under close surveillance by the KGB. During the Yom Kippur War, Carlebach performed for IDF soldiers and sang this song as a prayer for their safety.
Now, since October 7, this prayer is more relevant and more needed than ever.
