Fried Returns to “Chazak” Album

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Israel Bardugo

Jewish music legend Avraham Fried once again filled The Sultan’s Pool, an ancient water basin by the west side of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, with a crowd of thousands attending the annual summer concert.

Dudu Saasa, Chairman of the Besheva publishing group, called Fried the “symbol of Jewish music” and said the Brooklyn native succeeds in “connecting and uniting the Jewish nation with all its layers.”

The concert marked the 20th anniversary of Fried’s classic album “Chazak” that was arranged by Moshe Laufer. The crowd was thrilled to hear him sing some of the album’s favorites such as “Dido Bei,” “Modeh Ani Lefanecha,” and “Levinyomin.”

Following his recent collaborations with Israeli artists, Fried also sang a few Hebrew tunes with Israeli pop-rock singer and songwriter Danny Robas and singer Avraham Tal‎. It was conducted by Yuval Stupel.

One of the highlights of the concert was when Fried walked down the stage and sat near Simcha and Leah Goldin, parents of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war and whose body is being held by the Hamas terror group.

Fried sang to them his moving Hebrew song “Aleh Katan Sheli,” in prayer for the return of their son’s body to Israel to receive a proper and honorable Jewish burial. As he sang, the crowd stood on its feet and joined along in a moving moment of Jewish solidarity.

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