Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
There’s nothing like a pandemic to bring artists together, as with the 40 Israeli singers participating in “Katan Aleinu,” roughly translated as “We Got This,” written by Liraz ‘Static’ Russo and Yarden ‘Jordi’ Peleg.
Call it the Live Aid of 2020.
Every online “sharing” of the video will be matched by donations to medical staffs and hospitals engaged in treating the coronavirus.
“We Got This,” wrote Static on his official Facebook page, is the most Israeli of sayings, representing how much Israelis have been through and how they will survive COVID-19 as well.
“You don’t have to be a genius in history to know that this is our story,” wrote Static. “A lot of difficult things have happened to us, but we got through it and believe we’ll get through this too.”
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“I’m still in shock that it finally got done,” wrote Static.
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Static, one-half of the Static & Ben-El Tavori pop duo, wrote on Facebook that he worked on the project for several months, knowing that he wanted to create something musical, as “that’s what he knows.”
The project brought together 40 Israeli singers, young, middle-aged and more veteran, all of whom volunteered for the project, along with the production studios that worked on the song for three days of recording and filming.
Land of sunshine
on the Mediterranean Sea
the waves here aren’t quiet, this says much.
From the sands of the Negev
and up to Mount Hermon
a warm home, and here we all say, Shalom
Facing every obstacle and every puzzle
and we still haven’t lost our hope
what this day will bring is not yet known
and for it all we say thank you
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Chorus:
As it was, so it will be again
we survived it all, we will survive this also
we will not fail
We got this!
Coffee on the porch, the smells of Sabbath
how we are all here almost the same,
to guard the flag, for another time
how much longer, time passes slowly
Facing every obstacle and every puzzle
and we still haven’t lost our hope
what this day will bring is not yet known
and for it all we say thank you
Chorus:
As it was, so it will be again
we survived it all, we will survive this also
we will not fail
We got this!
Rap verses:
We got this, the sorrow is minimal
one people, we are all mixed together like chemicals
working from eight till five but dreaming of dollars
weekends full of clubs and pubs
Oh, this is not a dream or a joke
oh, we all have family to back us
oh, together with me and you
oh, we will all breath deeply again
We have hearts, brains, and determination as well as a bit of mazel
we are fire, we aren’t afraid
in this way it will be easy for sure
Chorus:
As it was, so it will be again
we survived it all, we will survive this also
we will not fail
We got this!
And for those seeking to identify the singers in the trending video, we’ve named them in the captions below:
Songwriter Static and veteran singer Gidi Gov, right (YouTube screen grab)American-born Israeli singer Omer Adam, left and former X-Factor winner Eden Ben Zaken, right (YouTube screen grab)Singer/songwriter and rapper Jasmin Moallem, left, and Eurovision 2021 contestant Eden Alene, right (YouTube screen grab)Singer and actress Roni Dalumi, left and Lior Narkis, right (YouTube screen grab)Singer Rotem Cohen, left, who collaborates with Latin singers, and singer and dancer Mergui (YouTube screen grab)Singer Noa Kirel, left, currently serving in an IDF band and Static singing partner Ben-El Tavori, right (YouTube screen grab)Long-time music collaborators Static and Jordy, left and Israeli influencer Anna Zak (YouTube screen grab)Noa Kirel and rapper Mooki, right, formerly of Shabak Samech (YouTube screen grab)Singer, songwriter and actor Eliad Nachum, left and Mooki (YouTube screen grab)Arabic- and Hebrew-speaking singer Nasreen Qadri, left and singer and composer Dudu Aharon (YouTube screen grab)Pianist and singer Rami Kleinstein, left and Gali Atari, right, who helped Israel win the Eurovision in 1979 (YouTube screen grab)Singer and producer Eden Hason, left and Doron Talmon (of Jane Bordeaux, known for their American-style folk music in Hebrew), right (YouTube screen grab)Eden Alene, left and Ella-Lee Lahav, right, whose song ‘Zot Ani’ ranked high on Apple Music when she was just 17 (YouTube screen grab)Nasreen Qadri, left and singer Moshe Peretz, right, also a judge on X-Factor Israel (YouTube screen grab)Singer and model Stephane Legar, left and early hip-hop adapter and rapper Subliminal, right (YouTube screengrab)Rappers E-Z, left, Shahar Saul, middle and hip-hop rapper Peled, right (YouTube screen grab)Rapper and produer Noroz, left with Stephane Legar (YouTube screen grab)Jasmin Moallem, left and rapper Michael Swissa, right, son of actor Meir Swissa (YouTube screen grab)Omri Segal, left, rapper, blogger and right-wing activist HaTzel (The Shadow) middle, and actor Itay Lukach, right (YouTube screen grab)Hip-hop artists Bastony, left, Saar Rusty Davidov in the middle and Talisman, right (YouTube screen grab)Rapper and producer Tzukush and Shrek, right, actor Tal Tirangel in the middle and Lukach (YouTube screen grab)Ben-El Tavori, left and singer Agam Buhbut, right (YouTube screen grab)Ben-El Tavori left, and singer, rapper and producer Alon De Loco (YouTube screen grab)Comic Shalom Asayag (YouTube screen grab)Static, one-half of pop duo Static & Ben-El, who co-wrote ‘Katan Aleinu,’ a song supporting hospitals and medical staff during the 2020 coronavirus, featuring 40 different singers and musicians (YouTube screen grab)
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