Dear Friends,
Last night was one of those rare evenings when music, memory, and mission fused into a single, unforgettable moment of geulah—redemption in real time. Music has the power not only to move us, but to mobilize us; not only to comfort, but to call us forward.
The concert was held in honor of my mother’s yartzeit and marked the shloshim of the Kedoshim (holy souls) of Sydney. Both remembrances converged into one shared message: when darkness strikes, the Jewish response is not retreat—but revelation. Light does not deny pain; it transforms it.
For me personally, the night carried an added layer of emotion and gratitude. To sing the songs I grew up with around my mother’s and father’s Shabbos table—songs that were woven into the soundtrack of my life—together with their composer, Yossi Green, was nothing short of surreal. These melodies have accompanied me and countless people all over the world, through decades of tribulation and jubilation, struggle and growth, family and community gatherings, touching our souls in profound ways, evoking a deep sense of connection to our higher and better spiritual selves. To now sing them with Yossi, shoulder to shoulder, felt like a full-circle moment—past and present harmonizing into one voice. And to sing Yossi’s composition, “Ima” - “mother”, accompanied by a collage of footage of my mother, I think made everyone present feel the loving embrace of their own mothers.
Cantors Aryeh Leib Hurwitz and Yaacov Young joined Yossi for a rousing rendition of Retzeih, as well as for a beautiful individual duet with Yossi, each one filling the room and filling hearts with their powerful melodic voices.
As the final notes were due to be struck up, the screens lit up with powerful video messages about the launch of the Souls of Sydney Project from Rabbi Yoram Ulman of Bondi—Rabbi Eli Schlanger’s father-in-law—and from Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger, Eli’s brother. Their words were not speeches; they were charges. They reminded us that the greatest tribute to a holy soul is not silence or sorrow—but continuity. Not memory alone, but mitzvah.
And then came the final medley—four songs, one journey.
It began with Yossi’s very first composition, “Kol B’Ramah” — “the sound heard on high from Rachel’s tears”. A cry that rises from the deepest place of loss. Rachel weeping for her children. The ache of Jewish history echoing across generations. It is the voice that cries when fifteen innocent and holy souls are massacred in Sydney. It is the voice of pain and tears that G-d promises Rachel are not in vain.
It is G-d’s voice echoed in the words of the next song of the final medley: “Hineni Rofeh Lach”: So says Hashem, "I have heard your prayers and I have seen your tears, and I will heal you”.
But we wonder, after 2000 years of exile and suffering, is there really an end to it all? Then the music lifted us into “Anovim” — to redemption.
“When the King Moshiach will appear
When King Moshiach will be here
On the Temple rooftop he will stand ,
His voice echoing throughout the land
All of Israel will hear him declare
My humble people
The time has come
The time for your redemption is upon you
And if you can’t believe it’s true
After all that you’ve been through
behold my light that’s shining unto you”
Yes, redemption will come, when we behold the light that shines unto us all - the light first and foremost of Unity, beautifully captured in the final song:
And finally, we arrived at Forever One:
“Forever one, we will go far
It’s not I am but who you are
We need just to reveal it
Need to try and feel it
For never are we alone
We have each other as our own
Nothing can divide us for we are
Forever One.
The declaration that no matter where we come from, no matter how fractured the world may feel, the Jewish people are—and will always remain—one. One heart. One mission. One destiny.
That is why the Jewish response to darkness has never been silence. It has always been song, mitzvah, and unity.
This is the heartbeat of the Souls of Sydney Project. To transform tears into healing, healing into redemption, and redemption into unity—through action.
The Souls of Sydney Project is a call to you to be a Souls of Sydney Mitzvah Project Ambassador.
Here is the mission, clear and simple:
For men and boys:
Commit to putting on tefillin daily—or commit to inspiring someone else to do so. For anyone who needs them, the Souls of Sydney Project will provide a beautiful pair of tefillin at no cost. No barriers. No excuses. Just action.
For women and girls:
Sign up to receive Shabbat Candle Lighting Kits, specially designed to be small enough to fit into a pocketbook. The vision is powerful in its simplicity: every woman carrying light with her—ready, at any moment, to share it with another woman or girl and help her usher Shabbat into her life.
This is how souls are elevated.
This is how loss becomes legacy.
This is how tragedy is transformed into redemption.
In Parshas Va’eira, G-d tells Moshe that redemption begins quietly—one act of faith at a time—until suddenly, the impossible begins to move. Last night, we felt that movement. Music opened our hearts. Memory deepened our resolve. And now, the mission demands response.
We are not asking you to attend another event.
We are asking you to become the event.
Carry the light. Share the mitzvah. Be an ambassador of hope.
Let the souls of Sydney live on—through your hands, your voice, and your action.
Sign up now at: www.BocaBeachChabad.com/SOS
Instagram: @souls.of.sydney
Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ruvi New
