Singing a song may not be the first thing we think about when seeing the haunting stills and video footage of soldiers on the war front, whether in Gaza or on the northern Lebanon border. Still, the IDF’s military bands are doing a great and much-needed job entertaining our troops.
The IDF’s Outstanding Musicians Program offers talented musicians the opportunity to continue their music education during their army service in this highly competitive, distinguished musicians’ unit. Whether it’s singing an intimate duet with one soldier or performing before a large assembly of soldiers, song is keeping our IDF combatants going in profound ways.
“The bands are sent wherever a commander thinks the soldiers in her or his unit need to hear music. The IDF Education Unit will provide it for them,” said IDF spokesperson Lidor Sultan.
On a recent visit to the Michve Alon training base in northern Israel, headquarters of the IDF Education and Youth Corps, which oversees most of the army bands, the Magazine got a glimpse behind the scenes, witnessing how teenage musicians can deeply touch the lives of lone soldiers.
“We use military bands and theater to create true love and connection between people because, in these horrible times, we want people to connect and to feel free to be together and enjoy,” said Sultan.
The IDF military bands perform three shows a day, moving from North to South as requests from unit commanders come in. This is a far cry from the pre-October 7 days, when the military bands typically played by advanced schedule at ceremonies.
“I think the big part of any war is that we don’t know what is going to happen a day from now, or a week from now, and we keep up with that,” said Rotem Shafran, one of the three musicians the Magazine interviewed at Michve Alon. Shafran, a keyboardist, singer, and composer, together with guitarist Edan Polachek and singer Gali Orian, form a trio who sing together, travel together and, since the war, are adjusting to an outsized role beyond their imaginings.
“Before the war, we performed in very organized events that the army planned way ahead. We also performed at memorial events that could be emotional, so we have experienced such shows; but the intimacy between us and the crowd that we’re experiencing now is something new to us. This war has given me a chance to find a deeper meaning in how important music is at this specific time,” Shafran reflected.
THE WHIMSICAL rhyming name of this military band, Kelim Shluvim (“intertwined instruments”), has a long history. Kelim Shluvim offers a nod, a wink, and a tribute to Gidi Gov, one of the legendary Israeli musicians whose career began in the ranks of an IDF military band. Gov rose to fame in the time of the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago.
“I remember we were playing for the soldiers at an Air Force base, and one of the soldiers had lost his cousin, so we played his cousin’s favorite song,” Polachek recalled. “I didn’t know the song. I just pulled up the chords, and our singer sang it. It was really emotional for the soldier.”
Polachek explained, “We practice for such times. Everyone in the army has a chance to fulfill the role they were meant to play in the organization. So we have a chance to do what we’re meant to do.
“You know, ceremony is nice,” he added. “It’s important. But in times like this, music can bring combat soldiers who are in a low place back to where they can smile. If we come and sing and make them feel good, it can make a change when they fight.”
Gali Orian, the female singer in this trio at Michve Alon, recalled visiting Kibbutz Niram near Gaza with the plan to perform for the exhausted soldiers.
“They had just returned from an overnight mission and were very tired. We sang for whomever was awake. Only four people wanted to hear us. We just sat in their tent to play songs they wanted to hear,” she said.
On the same day, the band also visited Kibbutz Erez, where the soldiers were full of enthusiasm.
“Most times, we prepare ahead or we ask soldiers what they want to hear. At Kibbutz Erez, they looked for lyrics on the Internet and sang with us for an hour.”
A song for new recruits
“Every base and even a small unit has its kitzinat chinuch, a commander in charge of the education on the base,” the IDF’s Sultan explained. “If a commander thinks the soldiers in his or her unit need to hear music, watch a specific show, or see theater, he or she will contact the Education Unit, and they will provide it.
“In all of those shows, there are many values that we want to give soldiers. Zionism, for instance, is love of the land and togetherness. The things that soldiers sing or hear have to have value. That’s the main purpose. We want them to have fun and learn something from it,” Shafran said.
Three weeks prior to the war, Kelim Shluvim performed for new recruits with their full prewar band of six or seven, including a drummer.
“The recruits had got stuck in this loop, where they didn’t understand basic training. They get into this organization with rules and a mentality of its own. It was clear these recruits were having a hard time adjusting to this environment, so they were very happy to see us. They were stuck on a base with uncertainty, not knowing what was going to happen to them when they were going to get out and go home. Kelim Shluvim gave them an escape from their worries and the unknown – a moment to relax and have fun with their friends,” said Polachek.
The IDF’s version of ‘The X-Factor’
Getting selected to serve as a member of one of the 13 IDF military bands is an arduous process that begins when most of the candidates are still in high school.
Polachek recalled how it all began with the skills test. “First of all, you have to play two songs to show what your level of playing is. After that, you get a chart with a music score. You have to learn a song quickly to prepare a song on the spot. We listen to it quickly or open it up on our phones. Then we are switched to a different guitar player to see how we blend into a band quickly.”
For singers, the auditions begin on video, Orian said. “We send a video where we sing a capella – without a musical backup. Four thousand people sent in videos. They eliminate a lot. Then there’s a day when all the singers who passed the first round come in, and there’s a list of songs we must choose from. One song was a bit sad, and another was rhythmic., After that, they eliminated more people. For the final audition, there’s a band and two singers, and we need to prepare a song ahead of time. The two other singers were singing back-up vocals, and we were tested to see that we didn’t get confused or go off key.”
Orian was one of the lucky 15 out of 4,000 to receive that coveted slip of paper that said she had passed. For guitarist Polachek, he was one of the three out of 100 guitar players who were accepted.
Like all inducted musicians, the members of Kelim Shluvim start their musical careers with a two-week army band course, where members are put into groups to see how they get along and bond with other band members. The IDF works with professional musicians and producers, who determine how vocals fit together. The IDF band managers also work with psychology experts, who analyze personality types.
Singing in uniform
“We are always told we’re the face of the IDF. If we’re flying to the US or Europe to tour there for special occasions for the FIDF (Friends of the IDF) or the Jewish community, that’s a time when this uniform makes a difference,” said Shafran.
“I think in the war, we’re performing in the same uniform and stand behind the same ideas and values; but on other occasions, we had a chance to perform in front of people who lost their loved ones. We are the only soldiers there, so we need to represent the army and behave as such.
“Each soldier fits into a role in this army, and one cannot exist without the other. We’re on the supporting side. That’s our role. We’re serving in a safer role, and you obviously feel the difference between the risk we’re taking and the risk they’re taking, and we have no intention of placing ourselves in a position that puts us in their shoes. They have their role, and we highly appreciate them. If the army didn’t think this role was necessary, it wouldn’t exist,” Shafran said.
He paused, taking a breath to reflect on the enormity of what has been unfolding since the devastating attack on October 7. “Growing up in Israel ultimately makes you grow up faster than in other places. This war has forced us to take responsibilities we wouldn’t have otherwise.” ■
A brief history of IDF military bands
- The first IDF military band was established to boost morale in the 1948 War of Independence.
- Chizbatron, the IDF’s first accordion-playing musical ensemble, was inspired by the military bands in the Red Army that performed on the front lines during World War II.
- The British Mandate of Palestine had similarly assigned military bands to its regiments from September 29, 1923, to May 15, 1948
- Unlike Russian and British military bands, public sing-alongs by Jewish settlers influenced the spirit of music in the IDF, where to this day soldiers often join in the singing of familiar songs.
- Some of Israel’s most popular songs were written for IDF military bands. Dubi Zeltzer, considered one of the founding fathers of Israeli pop music, wrote many popular songs while serving in the Nahal Brigade entertainment troupe.
- In the 1960s, IDF military bands became all the rage, with Israelis tuning in to the radio to hear the big stars from the army bands. The bands had their own songs that were written for them.
- The Golden Age of military bands reached its zenith in the late 1960s until the mid-1970s, when many famous actors and musicians got their musical education while serving in military bands.
- Among the most famous band members to serve in the IDF are Eurovision superstars Netta Barzilai (Navy Band) and Noa Kirel.
- Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion served in the IDF Military Rabbinate Choir, under the aegis of the IDF Orchestra. After the Six Day War, the choir released its first album; and after the Yom Kippur War, it recorded four more albums to strengthen soldiers’ connections to religious life and Jewish culture.
- IDF military bands offer Kabbalat Shabbat services with soldiers on bases.
- The Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade – where haredi men serve as combat soldiers within a framework that is strictly Halacha observant – prayer, song, and religious songs are the bedrock of their army way of life.
- As YouTube will attest in one viral video after another, many of Israel’s top and most beloved musicians have performed before the troops, such as David Broza, Ishay Ribo, and Matisyahu.
The IDF Education and Youth Corps has set up a booking hotline at 052-915-0181.
The writer is an artist in Haifa and author of The Wagamama Bride: A Jewish Family Saga Made in Japan.