When Alon Ohel is lastly dwelling from his brutal life in Hamas’ clutches within the tunnels deep beneath Gaza, the very first thing his mom desires him to the touch is a keyboard, she informed The Put up on Wednesday.
The classically educated pianist has at all times discovered his power and objective in music, Idit Ohel stated of her son, so when John Ondrasik — higher identified by his stage identify, 5 for Combating — provided to assist convey renewed consideration to the greater than 20 Israeli hostages nonetheless being held by the terrorists after their kidnapping on Oct. 7, 2023, it felt like an ideal match.
“Music has a manner of attending to individuals. Music helps individuals join, hook up with the state of affairs that Alon is in,” she stated.
“That is vital as a result of Alon continues to be alive. Alon is alive, and he’s in a really dangerous situation. We want individuals to grasp that.”
Ondrasik re-recorded his somber 2000 hit “Superman” — which comforted many within the aftermath of 9/11 — for Alon and the remaining roughly 24 dwelling hostages, tweaking a few of the lyrics to suit the timeless hope that they are going to quickly return dwelling.
Within the revamped model, Ondrasik — additionally a pianist — croons: “I want that I might cry/ fall upon my knees/ discover a option to lie/ ’bout a house I’ll by no means say” to “… discover a option to fly/ to a house I’ll quickly see.”
“We modified a number of to type of acknowledge the non secular fortitude of households like Idit and the hostages who’ve been launched which are superhuman and the hope that everyone carries,” Ondrasik stated.
“‘Superman,’ I feel, resonated and nonetheless does, as a result of it’s actually about our personal innate humanity and that we are able to’t be Superman, and that we’re susceptible and we are able to’t be the whole lot for everybody.”
Alon was almost launched earlier this 12 months after a cease-fire settlement was achieved between Israel and Hamas, however that deal has since fallen aside, and the battle rages on with little speak of one other hostage launch on the rapid horizon.
Ondrasik stated he hopes the re-release of his track — which was posted Monday on YouTube — can consolation these struggling usually in silence and produce renewed consideration to the continued atrocity.
“‘Superman’ offers power and solace to individuals who really feel deserted and the hostage households have been deserted by the world,” he stated.
“It’s not the Iranian hostage disaster the place each mailbox has a yellow ribbon round it; it’s not on the primary two minutes of the information each evening. They’ve been deserted by the world’s establishments, so it offers solace to individuals saying, ‘OK, we see you. We hear you.’”
He additionally stated he hoped the track and video would attain those that view the continued disaster as political —significantly younger individuals who protest in help of Palestine on faculty campuses with out acknowledging Hamas’ horrors.
“I don’t see how anyone with a soul, a coronary heart and a thoughts can have a look at that and consider a human being who was kidnapped and has been in a jail for this lengthy and never really feel some compassion, irrespective of how they’ve been indoctrinated,” he stated.
Ondrasik, who has written songs for different causes, together with the three-year Ukraine battle, additionally referred to as on different artists to make use of their voices and platforms to lift consciousness.
“I hope (the track) offers license and inspiration and maybe a bit little bit of disgrace to all of the artists who’ve been silent world wide,” he stated.
“What’s occurred since Oct. 7 is a disgrace on our trade — an trade that likes to delight itself on being for human rights and being on the entrance foot.”
“I name on all my fellow artists — I plead with them — get on the appropriate facet of historical past. You don’t should take a stand on Israel vs. Palestine; you don’t have to love Netanyahu; you don’t have to love Trump. However you may say, ‘free the hostages.’ And in the event you don’t, you might be complicit.”
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