SHIR makes Australia Day history

In a profoundly significant moment, Hebrew was performed at the Australia Day Live concert at the Sydney Opera House for the first time in Australia’s history.

SHIR, which brings together a diverse collection of Jewish musicians, was among the final acts in the NSW Government’s official Australia Day concert, broadcast nationally. The ensemble performed ‘Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu’, a Hebrew song about peace, followed by the beloved unofficial Australian anthem ‘I Am Australian’.

The performance represented the first time Hebrew has been sung at the iconic Opera House Forecourt in any concert setting, and marked the debut of a Jewish song at the Australia Day Live concert.

SHIR’s inclusion came after their powerful performance at the Bondi Beach vigil, where more than 20,000 people gathered just a week after December 14 to remember the victims of the Bondi terror attack.

“For us, being asked to join the Australia Day Live concert lineup this year is more than a recognition of our musicianship; it is a recognition that we, as Jewish Australians, are welcome, valued and belong in the cultural centre of Australia”, said SHIR director Ben Adler said.

“Our community was shattered by the Bondi terrorist attack. My bandmates and I lost friends and family. We hope that our musical offering on Australia Day will assist in our community’s healing, and in the healing of wider Australia.

“Moments like this, in which Jewish Australians can share authentically Jewish culture on a national stage, are rare, if not unprecedented. We are grateful for the opportunity to honour the memory of the victims, to offer succour through the power of music, and to manifest the best of multicultural Australia.”

Adler highlighted the exceptional support from fellow artists, singling out Bruce Woodley, who composed ‘I Am Australian’.

“He flew himself up from Melbourne when he found out that we were doing this song. He had no involvement in the concert but to sing with us for those three minutes,” Adler said.

“We shared some incredibly moving and candid moments with him backstage while talking about the situation. He is such a fervent supporter and he was so affected by Matilda.

“We gave him a bee pin, which unfortunately was obstructed by his guitar strap in the end, but he wore the bee and he went into the night with the bee on his lapel.”

For Adler, the Opera House performance was a “full circle moment” after he witnessed the October 9, 2023, demonstration at the same venue, when hatred was directed at the Jewish community.

“The Forecourt for me, and I think for all of us, has been quite fraught because of that night and the chants of hate, the chants against us,” he said.

“But on Monday night we were able to sing our song to the entirety of Australia. It doesn’t really get more mainstream Australian than that concert and I think Australia embraced us.

“To be part of this concert means we are an indelible thread in the fabric of this country, part of what binds us together and makes us stronger. We are proud to be on this stage with Australia’s best, and proud to be part of the Australian story.”