‘All we need is you’
Shir is an act of solidarity, strength, defiance and chutzpah on a scale that no one knew was possible - until it was.
There are some nights you never forget.
For me, one such night was October 6th last year. Sydney Town Hall was packed – 1800 Jews and allies, in the heart of our city. A few hours earlier, 7,000 protesters had passed by on their weekly march. The tension of the times was palpable as people took their seats.
And then the music started.
And everything changed.
For two and a half hours, we sang, cried, clapped, danced. We stood together and roared Hatikvah as the organ shook the floorboards. As one, our hearts soared and our spines straightened. And those 1800 people walked down the steps of their Town Hall with their heads held high.
That was ‘Songs of Hope’ – the debut concert of SHIR, the Australian Jewish Music Festival.
But it wasn’t just a concert. It was the moment we watched the psyche of an entire community transform before our eyes. It was an act of solidarity, strength, defiance and chutzpah on a scale that no one knew was possible – until it was.
We are returning this week to Sydney Town Hall for our night to be proud, public Jews in our CBD – on the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when our souls are at their most raw.
And this is what we are bringing to Melbourne with ‘Songs of Strength’.
We have the venue. We have the artists. We have the songs. We have the will, the pride, the ruach.
All we need is you.
If you are sick of the weekly protests –
If you are disgusted by the defacement of our institutions –
If you have walked past a burned synagogue –
If you were outraged by the firebombing of cars in your suburb this summer –
If you no longer feel welcome in your own CBD –
If you know a child who has been harassed for being Jewish –
If you are appalled by the doxxing of Jewish artists –
If you are disgusted by the lies about our people spread by those who should know better –
If you are a proud Jew –
Then this night is for you.
Sunday 28th September in Sydney and Tuesday 30th September – the night before Kol Nidrei, when our souls are at their most raw.
Join us.
Shana tova,
Ben Adler
Director of SHIR, the Australian Jewish Music Festival
To book tickets, visit shir.com.au
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