‘From the East’: Bnei Menashe & Yochai Ben Avi in a new song
A meeting of the Bnei Menashe class at the Hispin Yeshiva with Yochai Ben Avi gave birth to ‘Mehmizrah’ (‘From the East’) – a song that summarizes their special story, which is part of the story of all of Israel.
There are songs whose purpose is to make you happy, there are songs whose purpose is to excite, and there are songs that are meant to expose the listeners to something they are unfamiliar with.
‘Mehamizrah’ is a new song created by Yohai Ben Avi along with a group of Bnei Menashe high schoolers. The song tells the fascinating story of the boys and the entire Bnei Menashe community. The words connect the mosaic of their special story, starting with Yosef – Menashe’s father, who dreams and fulfills dreams, through the long exile – which they were the first to go to, until the immigration to the land they longed for for many years.
“I tried, through a song, to summarize in a few minutes their special story, which is part of the story of all of us,” says Yohai about the process that gave rise to the song ‘Mehamizrah’,” and adds “sometimes we forget that we are in a generation of redemption and ingathering of the exiles, and this story of Jewish tribes who are discovered and return to Israel, is exciting and almost unimaginable”.
“So I thank the sweet guys and the wonderful team, it was a great privilege for me to create this song.”
The boys have gone through difficult times. Among the boys who participated are a number of evacuees from the northern town of Kiryat Shemoneh who are among the thousands who have been forced from their homes since the start of the war in October due to incessant attacks from Hezbollah to the north. One of the boys tragically lost his father, suddenly, when he died on the day of his graduation. And of course all of them have had to run to bomb shelters many times as their school is in range of Hezbollah’s rockets as well.
The boys who participated were incredibly moved that a teacher at their school felt so strongly about their community and wished to tell their story in this way. Amazingly, all of this took place in Ramat HaGolan, a portion of Israel that is the inheritance of the Tribe of Menashe.
The Bnei Menashe boys felt that the song and the whole experience really connected with them and are thrilled that, through the song, they will be able to tell their story to Israelis.