“Yonatan, don’t daven here, daven out there”

There are great moments on the big stage. For me, one was at a HASC concert, with a 70-piece orchestra behind me and thousands of people in the audience, waiting for me to start the song on my guitar. I paused a moment, looked into the crowd, turned to the orchestra, and thought, “Wow, I am so lucky to be here.” Another was at OHEL, when I sang “Im Eshkacheich” and “Deaf Man in the Shteeble.” Luckily, I can lose myself in the depths of the song lyrics even at an event. I remember a moment backstage at HASC when I saw Yonatan Razel davening intensely before he went out. (It was his first time on stage in America.) I kissed him on the head and said, “Yonatan, don’t daven here, daven out there.” On the other hand, the more intimate performances can be just as powerful. There were a couple times when I was asked to sing for someone who was leaving This World behind. There, too, I was able to lose myself in the songs, and I think that’s important, because you can only really give it over if you are in it yourself.

— Singer/songwriter Eli Schwebel

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 844)