Is the second father in bonei olam's vezakeini jewish?

Rappel

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 8:38 am

amother [ Taupe ] wrote:

https://youtu.be/2zjQKquXe_Q

Oh! That makes more sense.

It seems like this was the primary video. There was a lot more effort put into it. And in the beginning of the men's version, Benny Friedman seems like he's struggling with the tune, which I thought was odd. It makes more sense that they wrote it for a different singer and then adapted it for him and the guy with the really high voice.

ETA - Shout out to Miriam Israeli. She has composed every Jewish song worth listening to in the past 3 years.

Last edited by Rappel on Tue, Mar 02 2021, 8:40 am; edited 2 times in total

watergirl

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 8:46 am

amother [ Taupe ] wrote:

https://youtu.be/2zjQKquXe_Q

Thanks! CHILLS!! THIS is how it was meant to be sung!! (And also, I really want that lilac dress!)

Side note - if you have not yet signed up to give a dollar or two a week for the Vzakeini program, please do so if you are able! This is one of the most meaningful things I have ever done and adds so much to my week. I gave a dollar for myself, for my daughter, and for my stepdaughter who I really need to see a yeshuah with.

https://www.boneiolam.org/vzakeini/

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 9:11 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Didn't look jewish so I thought maybe they hired an actor, not necesarily jewish one

What does jewish look like? OP, there are so many different ways a jew looks. You are stereotyping by saying he does not look jewish. There is no one way to look jewish. Please realize that.

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 9:14 am

Rappel wrote:

Im not sure the women's video was the pBaruch Levine sings a song Vezakeini that is all about the tefila that women say at candle lighting time. And then I think this song came out for Bonei Olam. I think the women sang it afterward.

amother

Maroon

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 9:33 am

I agree that it's weird that the men are singing "will I ever be a mother." They should have changed it to "will I ever be a parent".
That being said, please realize that this is all about fundraising for the organization; it's not about anything else. And if you have women singing the song, you are cutting out half of the frum population, and it's the half that is probably in a position to be more generous. So they made two videos. One that men can listen to (and that they can show at their event) , and hopefully pull out their checkbooks to make those big donations, and the second to pull at women's heartstrings.
It's the same reason why they put donation cards on men's tables at fundraising dinners. Women generally won't donate huge amounts without their husbands, though men will often do so without consulting with their wives. (Don't bash this as s-xist. This is the reality as I see it, and as it was explained to me from people who do fundraising.)

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 9:38 am

As I mentioned elsewhere when this song came out, I like seeing women in things, BUT, as someone who went through infertility for many years, the first time I ever heard benny friedman and baruch levine sing this song, I bawled my eyes out (then again, I also cry when I hear baruch levine sing vezakeini).
It is a very powerful song. Full stop. Sometimes thats really all it is.

amother

Maroon

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 9:45 am

Also, the words of Vezakeini are specifically said by a woman when she is lighting candles, but it's not really specific to women. It is a beautiful tefila that any father could relate to as well. I dont know why there is no comparable tefilla that a father prays for his children to go in the ways of the Torah, to be chachamim, nevonim, ohavei Hashem, yerei Elokim and Anshei Emes...
I think it's thanks to Baruch Levine who composed his original hit song vezakeini, (around 15-20 years ago) that brought this tefilla to the masses, that otherwise men would never have heard of.
In terms of Bonei olam, we almost never show the side of a distraught man who is childless. It's always the woman who is portrayed as being devastated about not being a mother. (This video is attempting to show a lonely father who pines for children.)
It's strange because it's actually a man's mitzva to bring children into the world. But I think that by nature, women desire to bring life into the world more than men. Perhaps that's why it's a mitzva for men and not women, because women don't need to be commanded in this...its something that is embedded into the nature of women

Crookshanks

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:17 pm

Where I live, when anyone sings the song we all yell "NO!" after the words will I ever be a mother. It seems to be a teenage girl reaction but hearing Baruch Levine or whoever sing this song is just funny.

amother

Peach

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:46 pm

I really liked both versions and don’t care if men sing it. When I went through infertility my husband was just as affected- maybe more because he had even less support. Infertility hits both in the equation. This isn’t “man vs women time- Yeah maybe they should have said parent- but the message is the same

Java

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:46 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

Lol sameee

amother

Maroon

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:52 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

What an immature way to ruin an emotional line.
I get that some songs should be sung by women. But its beautiful that these men are able to perform for the world and portray the depth of a womans feelings. Women can perform for women only, so I am all for men representing us to the greater public.

amother

Orange

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:55 pm

I loved both vezakeini videos. Yeah, I get the funny side of men singing will I ever be a mother, but I don't see why that detracts from the overall video. It brought me to tears the first time I watched it.
I also like the 'sequel' that they brought out this year. It's not quite as moving as the first IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S01ZU7CyAtI

Crookshanks

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 12:55 pm

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

Doesn't bother me:) I happen to not like the song very much, so I don't really care how my sisters sing it.

Crookshanks

Tue, Mar 02 2021, 1:11 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

All I can say is, I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt you or them.

Anonymous people arguing with me online doesn't really bother me, but anonymous people threatening me and my siblings with IF seems a step too far.