W

hen he was a kid, Avremel Friedman went public as a child soloist on several albums — but while the light of most child stars dims as their voices change, Avraham Fried’s only became brighter. Ten years later, his 1981 debut album, No Jew Will Be Left Behind, turned into the beginning of a nearly four-decade stretch, as listeners connected to his niggunim of the neshamah. Through hundreds of songs and dozens of albums, we’ve sung and swayed, danced and prayed. And now we’ve asked our readers:

Which one of Avraham Fried’s songs has touched your life?

My Fellow Jew (Yochid Verabim, 2001)

I could cry just listening to the lyrics, specifically, “You have weathered all the storms; they’ve all come and gone / You are the unsung heroes of the world /You teach the world how to live and how to give and how to believe/ If I could look into your heart, I would see the face of G-d.”

It’s a timeless message to the Jewish People that we will carry on no matter what. Our people give me faith and hope in the future. Am Yisrael Chai!

—Chana Kashi, Great Neck, NY

I remember when I was in seminary and we had a panel about ahavas Yisrael. Someone asked a question about learning to love or tolerate someone that just rubs you the wrong way. One of the panelists said that whenever she feels negative feelings toward someone, she listens to Avraham Friend’s “My Fellow Jew” and pictures this person as she listens to the song. I’ve tried it since then and it really works. When you realize what the Jewish People collectively have gone through to reach this point and that every individual Jew is so precious to Hashem, the ambivalence somehow dissipates.

—Debbi H., Brooklyn, NY

Avremel’s Take

I had this desire to write a song that would honor  Klal Yisrael — but that’s not an easy task. I encouraged my brother, Rabbi Manis Friedman, to help me with the lyrics, and baruch Hashem, the song speaks for itself. It’s one of my favorite Yossi Green compositions.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 791)