S ONG: “IVRI ANOCHI”│ALBUM: BENNY FRIEDMAN - FILL THE WORLD WITH LIGHT

COMPOSER: ARI GOLDWAG│YEAR: 2016

Like many great ideas the song “Ivri Anochi” was a collaborative effort enlisting several innovative musical talents. Singer-songwriter Ari Goldwag initially composed the song sitting behind his desk at home in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

“I have a Tanach in front of me when I look for words for new compositions. I asked Hashem for words that day and when I opened the sefer it opened to Sefer Yonah Perek Alef. Immediately I seized on this pasuk Yonah’s reply to the sailors as a violent storm threatens to capsize their ship and take their lives. ‘Ivri Anochi — I am a Jew and I fear Hashem G-d of the Heavens.’ The words were calling out for a song.”

Goldwag’s original plan for the song was to set the preceding pasuk the sailors’ question to Yonah to a first part of the song and Yonah’s sincere and inspiring answer to the refrain. He chose a tempo reminiscent of the “swing songs” that were popular in the 1990s — songs like “Adam Do’eg al Damav” and “Neilech B’naareinu Neilech” sung by Avraham Fried.

But when Benny Friedman purchased the song for an upcoming album it went through some changes. Friedman’s version produced by Sruly Meyer has a modern feel and tempo fixating on the central pasuk of Ivri anochi as an anthem of Jewish pride and adding original lyrics to complement it (the conversation with the sailors was dropped). Benny’s cousin Shmuli Marcus created a round of his characteristic simple-profound English lyrics that were added to bring out the song’s message in the language of the people. (“A little bit of history I’ve been through / Ask me where I’m from and I will tell you…”)

“A few months after Benny bought it I was asked to compose a third part of the melody ” Goldwag says “so I did. Shmuli chose the words ‘Bnei Avraham Yitzchak v’Yaakov ’ which add great depth to the concept of what being a Jew is all about.”

The album was almost ready for production when Sruly Meyer decided to add another dimension: He commissioned songwriter Miriam Israeli (“Yesh Tikvah ” “Ima Tagidi Li”) to write Hebrew lyrics — which open the song in its final version.

“The message of ‘Ivri Anochi’ is so timely powerful and acutely needed. It carries the two major themes of Jews being close to Hashem and each other plus pride in being Jewish ” Mrs. Israeli says. Making the song accessible to Hebrew speakers was a great move as the radio time “Ivri Anochi” enjoys in Israel has proven.

With a penetrating simplicity and a highly contemporary sound “Ivri Anochi” cuts to the core resonating with secular Jewish audiences too who can relate to Yonah’s expression of Jewish identity and pride. “There is no getting away from it ” Benny Friedman says. “No matter where a Jew finds himself or what his life’s choices have been he can never sever himself from Hashem.”

“I got a message from a man that his six-year-old daughter who lives with her mother and her mother’s non-Jewish husband Rachmana litzlan loves ‘Ivri Anochi.’ Since this song has come out all she want to do is watch the video and sing the words ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud…’” says Benny Friedman.

Producer Sruly Meyer gives the credit to the singer’s own inspiration. “Just like with Benny’s ‘Yesh Tikvah ’ we’ve found that a message goes a very long way. It was Benny’s idea to take the song and turn it into an anthem of Jewish pride. I knew as everything came together ‘Ivri Anochi’ was going to hit home.” (Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 654)