NSN Presents: Kosher Halftime Show 2024 - Avraham Fried

hello everyone hope you're enjoying the contest between Kansas City and San Francisco meanwhile it's time for the kosher halftime show the Alam seagull Network and the Rothenberg Law Firm present this year's 2024 edition of the kosher halftime show and usually our kosher halftime show is one of entertainment and fun this year it's going to be a little different we know what's happening right now in our beloved Holy Land what's going on in Israel and I wanted to bring in someone from the Jewish music world who could speak to us firsthand about their experiences in Israel over the last few months and with that in mind it's a pleasure to welcome to this year's kosher halftime show The One and Only Abraham freed how are you a pleasure shim this is a first for me first time huh yeah it took me 45 years of singing and I finally made it to the kosher halftime show so thank you well it's going to be a historic historic for sure uh there's a lot going on in this world and nothing more serious than what's been happening over the last few months in Israel indeed and once the war broke out people like yourself and myself felt the need to get to Israel as soon as possible and I'm wondering what you remember about your very first visit after the war started when you were asked to come and give a little heesook to the people in Israel I actually went during the first week of the war and it was shocking and painful and scary and overwhelming as you can you remember the first few days were like we were all in total shock and I was asked not to sing so much for the soldiers I did that too and for wounded soldiers and the hospitals but what I remember most was going to zaka and then to a place called shur i' never heard of shur you ever heard of shur now I have yeah now we have people don't know there's are two twostep process zaka brings in the body bodes and shur has a difficult job of identifying the bodies so they told me beforehand zaka and shur these people are totally in shock CU they just saw what they just saw no eyes should ever have to see and uh they said you have a tough job but see what you can do you know music don't don't dance too much not ready to dance and not too much F songs you know I mean just give them some sing some songs of and prayer and that's exactly what [Music] happened they like at the beginning it was so like so painful and so difficult but as we kept singing and and getting more into the and by the end we were dancing and crying and praying together and um something I'll never forget those hero the progression that you just described is really the progression that everybody certainly those in Israel but I think many of us around the world have gone through since the War Began one of tremendous sadness and depression and shock as you described and eventually especially as the war really became intense one of gratitude to the one above great celebration meaning celebrating that we're making advances and that we're becoming victorious in this battle and I think that that's really been the the stages that everyone's been through during this war I've been back a couple of times since that first week and I I I feel very humble to be in the presence of those soldiers what could I tell you it's there when did you last see a do aah a true you know put on the filling okay we're not dancing you know put on filling um to be with the soldiers and to sing with them and to dance with them and see their their their they know that they're fighting to protect ER and cl and they're like the happiest people in the world they're going here they came out for for a meal for a few for an hour or two to get a little break they're going back right back into AA into Gaza you know and but they're dancing and they're smiling they're so full of inem that Victory is at hand it's just it's unbelievable it's un the memories of dancing with these soldiers you know hand to hand shoulder to shoulder it's just incredible when was the first time that it was celebration dancing when was the first time that you know things picked up in terms of the tempo and speed of the music good question the first time when we danced it was kind of dancing with heavy feet and broken hearts shattered Hearts um one of the people they working at shur told me that there was one one mother who kept coming and trying to find her son they couldn't identify a certain particular body and she's crying and she's beseeching find my son for me finally somebody noticed there was a tattoo one of the hands of the body the bodies and they asked her did you son have a tattoo on his arm she said yes said we found your son the tattoo helped identify the son and she said maslov I can now bury my son have a proper burial and have closure but then second visit and the third visit the uh the Sim became so palpable and the the dancing and the the just the tent we had had this it was it was shaking it was it was louder than the the explosions is coming out of [Music] Gaza and people wondered if 75 years later our army still has that spirit and you've seen it firsthand absolutely it's incredible absolutely absolutely the spirit the the faith the trust that Hashem is with us and uh Victory is at hand and we will see Miracles bed with Hashem still tough times no question about it but uh the victory is very close more of our conversation with abam Fred coming up after these messages here at the N seal [Music] Network [Music] wow [Music] spectacular m m now you've uh you've had many videos many different um pieces of footage that have gone around the world showing you with soldiers in these types of uh in these types of celebrations um there's one in particular that became very well known because shortly after your appearance with this Soldier he was no longer with us you then inform me that unfortunately that scenario has been way too common place it's not just one who has fallen since you met him unfortunately it's been multiple soldiers who have fallen since you met them yes yes yes yes and um I've had the to be there and to go visit visit some of the families and now there's a new Min a singer walks into a Shiva house I I didn't know this they ask you to sing they call in all the people from all the rooms everybody sitting in different rooms everyone comes into the big room and you're asked to sing that's like that's that's the new the new way of bringing Comforts I was a little caught off guard but um turns out that many of the family sitting shiva the the the the wives and or the husband the the um not the husband husbands have passed away unfortunately but the um the children and they say oh they loved your song we listen to your songs so I didn't know that I was popular in that particular household so anotherus that I can bring some comfort to the those who are who are are sitting shiva need comfort but um I went recently to a certain group a certain base right near right near Gaza I think it was an ofakim I could hear the explosions and you see the um the lights in the sky that they use for at night time they stand up some what they call it like flare but it lasts like 3 4 minutes sits there in the sky gives them some light you know below so they can see what they're doing and um unfortunately uh a lot of soldiers from that pluga from that unit were were lost and yeah one picture with Alana Al Velda he was so sweet so you remember your specific encounter with I remember you know why at the end after singing for two hours with soldiers as I'm leaving many soldiers came over to me and said make me a let's do a video clip for my students as asked for his many asked for their wives and children back home who have been home alone since the War Began they need so I did many bras to the AAS who are at home with the kids and while the husbands are fighting tough tough uh tough situation but what song were you asked to sing at the Shiva house which one do you remember specifically as that you sing there [Music] um you know you remind me you remember the story with the three boys young boys that were that were kidnapped and unfortunately killed we're talking how many years ago 10 years ago 10 years 2014 so I came into the share share family share family that was one of the families and I didn't know anyone was going to know me there somebody recognized me called me up to the front talking about the painful Amazing Stories and okay so we sang a few songs and uh at one point the mother mother says to me pleasing and I remember just being I mean afterwards I you know had my time to think on the airplane I said you have such amazing children they deserve better this mom who just buried a teenage son asked me to sing a song it's good to praise Hashem said such strength such a such that that just blew me away so it's it's I'm I'm very very humbled by these great and merits to sing for the soldiers to bring some comfort to families who who the music brings them comfort and um we only hope and pray that you know it's either a great tragedy or a great miracle that brings us together right and Hashem it's time that we see more of the Miracles to bring us together than the pain and the suffering we've been there we've done that enough enough is enough no question about we deserve better No More Tears no more pain and suffering you mentioned one of the families from the three boys uh we always point out that it seems that the enemy always gets the best and the brightest of ours and then this war reminds us that they're all the best and the brightest that's why it seems that way because we are dealing with such incredible people the soldiers that you mentioned and those that you've come in contact with it just seems all of them are steep in such incredible Faith such incredible belief in the one above and and just an incredible an incredible desire to help others not question mark exclamation mark more of our conversation with abam freed coming up after these messages here at theal [Music] Network [Music] wow spectacular m m al that we talked about you saw his saw his his letter it's unbelievable it's unbelievable Hashem has good kids loyal no matter what they've been through they stay with the program they believe they trust and they hope that hasn't waned one bit on the contrary it it brings us together and we should just Merit to see open Miracles that's what we're waiting for People Like Us come back from Israel and we wonder how the people here in the United States and other parts of the world are dealing with the whole situation do you find that people here may not be as connected did or may not be as intensely paying attention to what's happening in Israel or to our credit are people even thousands of miles away feeling part of what's happening there I think the whole world is feeling it we got such a whack this time that you cannot not feel it it's just not possible and many many many people are going on their own just to give some meals to soldiers to treat them to whatever the all the helmets and the the things are coming in everyone feels a need a need now to do do something they can't just sit by many are saying T many are doing mitzvas you know I I was just at a at a dinner the other night and somebody said he started doing a b and c that he's never done in his life because he's doing it for the of the soldiers whatever it might be right small big so I think our hearts and our minds our souls are so connected now with ER is um especially the hostages and the soldiers and CLA are living there cuz they're you know it's it's it's a tough time that they're going through I think the world yish world is more connected now than ever before and um I think this AAS will bring us to the BR and we are hoping by the time this airs the hostages are home and safe and sound please God finally I was going to ask you which song you most identify with this entire situation but then you revealed to me and we're going to have the opportunity to see it this incredible brand new video and for some of us a brand new song you told me it's a classic yes uh that really could be the song that you identify with the most when it comes to everything that's been happening in Israel tell us that well that's so perfect the song is called it's actually from the I think there's a yeah there's a line in there like perfect perfect the song must be 30 4 years old I think they sing it in the yes it's a known song and yalel my my musical director there realized that this song is a gem now this is this is the time to bring out the song l so one of the army bases that I recently visited we sang with the soldiers and we have a beautiful clip as you shall soon see talking about the joy and the Sim and the trust and the Fai of the you'll see it you'll see it for yourself there's no there's no um there's no um explanation needed and uh this singing and this dancing will assure that will be in I only pray I pray that Hashem give courage and and All the Right Moves to the mah ver Israel to the government they make the right decisions not easy not easy but the people are with them and we should only that they make the right decisions and then Hashem will will kick in and the Miracles will happen and Mia will come and will dance with mhia amen thank you so much my pleasure big yes [Music] shalom when [Music] [Applause] [Music] I the a l again again [Music] yay the hu a of is I not I am I thank all of you for tuning in to our coacher halftime show with a big thank you to the Rothenberg law firm and all of our commercial sponsor kosher halftime show 2024 right here at the N seagull [Music] Network