Showing posts with label Concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concerts. Show all posts

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Me'ir David Kahane, The Young

Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wayehi 5770
Kahane Grandson Arrested by Shin Bet for Mosque Arson
Gil Ronen, 14 Tevet 5770/December 31, 2009

(Israelnationalnews.com) Police and Shin Bet operatives arrested a Jewish youth from Kfar Tapuach in Shomron, a grandson of former MK Rabbi Meir Kahane, on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses said the youth was not told why he was being arrested, but only that he would be taken to Tel Aviv. Police stated later in the day that he was suspected of involvement in an arson attack on a mosque at Kafr Yasouf in Samaria three weeks ago.

His father, Binyamin Ze'ev, and his mother, Talia, were murdered in a terror gun ambush on December 31, 2000. His grandfather, MK and fiery rabbi Meir Kahane, was assassinated ten years earlier.

Nationalist activists reacted to the arrest by saying: “We hope the Shin Bet and police do not abuse the boy the way they usually abuse settlers. He is an orphan without a mother and father, who were murdered in a terror attack.”

Security forces have been busy trying to identify and arrest the people involved in the mosque arson at Kafr Yasouf in northern Samaria on December 11. Unknown people entered the mosque in the pre-dawn hours, set alight a carpet and bookshelves, and scrawled some graffiti on the floor in Hebrew promising revenge for Arab terror.


What a coincidence...

...that his parents' yartzeits were on 5 Teveth.

...that the Westernized/assimilationist government and government lackeys probably went by the Gregorian date, December 31, happily waiting for the Hebrew calender finally to fall out of disuse.

I do not believe in coincidences.

Did Me'ir David do it? He had an alibi, an alibi which could easily have been checked out without the harassment, so, mostly not.

As politically-incorrect as it may be, neqamah (revenge, and when involving goyim) IS a misswah. So you will not find me shedding any tears for a burned-down mosque.

I must admit that I do not know Me'ir David very well at all. We have spoken only a handful of times. His family took care of that, as they did not approve of my associations with certain other Tapu'ah residents. However, I can say that Me'ir David is a very gentle young man who works hard at his learning and at building up the land with the rest of his family.

That being said, I also believe very strongly that he is being raised, ...shall we say..., specifically NOT to grow up to be exactly like his father, Rav Binyamin HY"D.

Years ago, two of his uncles (one the gabbai, and the other ba'al qore') both voted to work toward removing the "Kahane stigma" from the [now] Central Tapu'ah beth k'nesseth (...whatever the hell that was supposed to mean). Both Me'ir David and another uncle voted against the resolution. What was he supposed to do?

This gabbai has continued to insist that the meaning of the word "stigma" in Hebrew has a much weaker connotation than its usage in English. Then why was such a vote necessary, if the "stigma" was not so strong? No response.

But this single example is only one of the many reasons for the above belief. I am afraid that other reasons cannot be listed here.

Try as they may, though, they will not succeed. Every time I bring up having lived in Tapu'ah, the reaction is always the same, from secular, left-wing Jews, to Haredim, to mamlachtim, to Kahane followers and sympathizers.


"WOW!"

The only difference is the tone. Positive or negative, everyone believes the same thing: K'far Tap'uah is an "extremist" town. No matter how many mamlachtim and "mind their own business in exchange for cheap housing" college students the "powers that be" bring into the town to live (and to vote, thus keeping them in power), it will always be Rav Binyamin's town, Rav Binyamin who once said:

"Who cares what people think? Let them think we're crazy settlers. Then maybe they'll leave us alone."

By letting you in on this secret, I expect to get more than a few perturbed emails from my former neighbors, who feel strongly about Rav Binyamin's strategy.

I'll just tell them not to worry. No one blog post has the power to break the so-called "stigma," let alone influence of the Rabbis Kahane HY"D, Me'ir David's father and grandfather.

So, what was the Shin Bet (Shabba"k/secret police) doing in Tapu'ah? Oh, it's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Just another opportunity to make a nasty attack on the Kahane family?

Just the usual general harassment meant to toy with settlers, in an attempt to break them?

Just more of the usual encouragement to create and maintain divisions amongst the settlers?

A ploy to get Kahane sympathizers to come out of the woodwork, due the outrage of such treatment of an orphan?

Take your pick. Personally, I stopped trying to figure out the motivations of the Shabba"k, and focus more on the more important issue, the motivations of those giving the orders, the Israeli shadow government of Peres, Beilin, and Baraq.


********

In the meantime, you may want to attend the memorial concert being held in K'far Tapu'ah, next Mossa'ei Shabbath, starring Bini Landau. If you cannot make it, then you will be able to enjoy it on the Voice Of Judea YouTube Channel, the following week.


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Read another neighbor's take on the arrest in Now I Am Angry at The Torah Revolution.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Shivi Keller In Concert Mossa'ei Shabbath No'ah

3 of the Eighth Month 5770

K'far Tapu'ah combination Melaweh Malkah Concerts have returned!

Shivi Keller kicks the fall season off this Mossa'ei Shabbath at 7:30!

Save room for Yekuti'el's special chollent, the best in the Shomron!
(Click to enlarge)


Call 052-7521159 for more information.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Tapu'ah Concerts Are Back! (Updated)

Before the Fast of the Fifth Month 5769

K'far Tapu'ah's Saturday Night Concert Series is returning!

The first concert will be this Mossa'ei Shabbath "Nahamu".


Faith in HaShem, not in Obama.

Yes to the Hilltops and the Temple Mount.

No to Capitol Hill and Washington.

"Festival HaMiqdash" in K'far Tapu'ah

10:00pm till dawn

Sinai Tor

Aharon Razel

Dov Shurin

Eliran Elbaz

Bini Landau


and more!

Plus, special guests and Temple Mount Activists

Rabbi Yosef Elboim
miBelz

MK Dr. Micha'el Ben-Ari

Gershon Mesiqah
Shomron Council Head

Rabbi Shmu'el HaKohen
Rabbi, K'far Tapu'ah

Only 10 NIS to enter, and includes melaweh malkah!

For more information about the concerts, as well as Shabbath hospitality, call 054-4876709 (in Israel). For Shabbath hospitality, please call by Wednesday.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Depeche Mode "Sounds Of The Universe" Tour In Danger Of Cancellation

21 of the Second Month 5769

Today News1 reports that the Depeche Mode concert tour is in danger of being canceled.
After the show in Israel, two of Depeche Mode's concerts have been canceled, in Athens and in Istanbul, following the illness of the lead singer David Gahan. It is possible that this will be the end of the tour.
(Tip Credit: Sophomore 74 Studios)

But the day before, DepecheMode.com, the group's official website, had already reported that...
Depeche Mode have been forced to cancel two shows on their 'Sounds of the Universe' tour, yesterday's show in Athens (May 12) and tomorrow's show in Istanbul (May 14), due to the illness of singer Dave Gahan.

Dave fell ill with a severe bout of gastroenteritis shortly before he was due onstage in Athens which resulted in his immediate hospitalization. At this stage, Dave's primary concern is to return to full health and resume the tour as soon as possible.

Fans in Athens and Istanbul have been advised to hold onto their tickets as an announcement will be made shortly with regard to rescheduled dates or cancellation.

But, since this statement was made, it looks as if shows scheduled for Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, have also been canceled. Still, we will have to wait and see if this really is the end of this tour.

The Tel-Aviv (Ramat Gan) show was the official opener of the "Sounds Of The Universe" tour, not counting the "warm-up" show played four days beforehand in Luxembourg.

At the group's Tel-Aviv press conference, a connection was made between opening in Tel-Aviv with the cancellation of the group's Tel-Aviv show three years ago due to the Second Lebanon War. That show, scheduled for the night following Tisha b'Av, was supposed to have been the closing show of "Touring The Angel."

Andrew Fletcher (synthesizers) said...
"As you must remember, we were very disappointed on the last tour, which would be the last [show] of Touring The Angel, when we had to cancel the show. But instead you've got the show of Tour of the Universe...."

(Tip Credit: Israelly Cool)

The show three years ago was reported to have been canceled not for political reasons, but due to the safety concerns of the group's crew.

At the time, I suggested that the show might have been canceled, as it was on a night when listening to live music is forbidden. So now, you might be asking the question, "Then, why wasn't canceled when it was a day before Lag b'Omer? And why were concerts in Athens and Istanbul canceled, but the concert in Israel was allowed to carry on? And am I making way too much out of all this? I don't know.

David Gahan at the KotelThere are a few more interesting things to point about Depeche Mode and its Israel connection. They concern the lead singer, David Gahan, seen here visiting the Kotel (Western Wall).

His birthday falls on 5 b'Iyyar, Israeli Independence Day (1962).

In the Gregorian calendar, it fell last Shabbath, the day before the concert.

In addition, various conflicting reports have been made about his connection to Judaism. One is that his biological father is Jewish. One is that his parents converted to Judaism, after he was born, but reverted back to Christianity. David himself has also made mention of his affinity for Judaism.

But, enough about the band....

Throughout this post, the question many of you may have had burning a hole through your brains is whether or not I ended up going to the concert myself. No, I did not,...even though a friend claimed he had acquired passes to the after party at the Tel-Aviv Port (where the three band members actually did show up...kicking myself, kicking myself...).

There really wasn't much to discuss and debate, after I found that I had no way to get home after the concert, nor anywhere else to spend the night, except for the beach (been there, done that). So, the issues of whether I should go or not, and why I should or should not go, turned out to be moot.

Well, there's always next time....

Monday, March 23, 2009

K'far Tapu'ah's Last Concert Of The Season

27 of the Twelfth Month 5769

I wasn't in Tapu'ah this Shabbath. In fact, I haven't been in Tapu'ah five Shabbathoth in a row. But, that's another story for another time....

Coming back this Motz"Sh (Saturday night) I got to Tapu'ah Junction at around 10:00 pm, and waited for a tremp up the hill.

I was worried about getting a ride due to the girls waiting before me. But, I actually didn't have to wait very long before my buddy Yitzhaq and I got chauffeured up to town by fellow "settlers" from the city of Qedumim. Following us were a haredi kid from Jerusalem and another boy with the standard, big, floppy kippah and paiyos.

As you might have guessed, our ride was full of people headed for the Melaveh Malkah, at the Beth Kenesseth Merkazi, featuring Bini Landau in concert and Tapu'ah's famous, spicey chollent.

Over the last year, the Melaveh Malkah in K'far Tapu'ah has become a regular Motz"Sh destination for locals, as well as Jerusalemites, B'nei Braqians, and Hilltop youth from all over.

The religious and heimish (homey) atmosphere provides a great environment for teens and adults of all ages to "hang out" on a Saturday night. That it's a better environment for kids than Jerusalem's Kikkar Tzion (Zion Square) is an understatement.

Often 10 to 30 guests come for the full Tapu'ah Shabbath experience, in addition to the Melaveh Malkah. This includes a Biblical tour and look at what Jews are doing to work the land and Qabbalath Shabbath on our local ma'ahaz (stronghold).

One of the results of the Tapu'ah experience has been the weekly coming together of modern orthodox, haredi, hilltop and secular to celebrate Shabbath.

Every week there are also several guests in attendanc who had never set foot across the so-called "green line," let alone out in the middle of the Shomron, where we are a lot closer to Jordan than to any green lines or other pseudo borders others have in mind for us.

Needless to say, preconceived notions guests bring with them about life in the Shomron are quickly disspelled through the course of the weekend.

This Motz"Sh was the last concert of the season. But, Tapu'ah is expected to continue its Melaveh Malkah concert tradition after Shavu'oth.

Past performers have included Aharon Razel, Aharith HaYamim, Sinai Tor, Rocky Ziegler and his Optimystical band, and the ever popular Dov Shurin.

For more information about next season's concert series, and how you can help support this fantastic event series, contact its coordinator.

Yekutiel Ben-Ya'akov
Phone: 054-4876709 (from outside of Israel: 972-54-4876709)
E-mail: guzofskyyekutiel@gmail.com


Bini Landau, Motza"Sh Wayaqheil-Pequdei 5769



More of Bini Landau's music can be heard at MP3music.co.il (Hebrew). More Melaveh Malkah concert videos can be found on the Voice Of Judea's YouTube page.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Poll: Should I Go To The Depeche Mode Concert?

27 of the Twelfth Month 5769

Depeche ModeI have been a Depeche Mode fan for over 25 years. I have not seen them in concert since 1988, and my last opportunity would have been Motza'ei Tisha b'Av 5766, when it would have been assur (prohibited) to go to a concert. As it happens the concert was canceled, apparently due to complications caused by the Second Lebanon War.

Depeche Mode is expected to come back to Israel on May 10.

So, the question is, should I go to the concert?

Please participate in the poll in the upper, right-hand corner of this page.

You may list your "other" and "none of the above" answers, wise cracks, and queries below in the comments section of this post.

Here are a few videos to help you decide. Let me know if any of you begin to feel any nostalgia.

"Shake The Disease" (1985)




"Never Let Me Down Again" (1987)




"Enjoy The Silence" (1992)



Sunday, November 09, 2008

Rav Kahane ZTZ"L HY"D Memorial - 18 Years

12 of the Eighth Month 5769

(Click to enlarge)

An azkarah (memorial) will be held for Rav Me'ir Kahane ZTZ"L HY"D, marking 18 years following his murder.

Mossa'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wayira
Saturday night, Nov. 15, 2008, 7:30
K'far Tapu'ah Central Synagogue

*Torah learning le'illui nishmath HaRav
*Hiddushei Torah of the Rav
*Stories of the Rav
*Melaweh Malkah meal




Adv. Gershon Mesiqa

Samaria Area Council Head

Rabbi Baruch Kahane

Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari

Rabbi Shmu'el HaCohen

Rav of K'far Tapu'ah

Additional Rabbis and Community Leaders

Musical accompaniment will be provided by Yerachmiel "Rocky" Ziegler and his band "Optimystical," and singer Ari Ben-Yam.

For more information on the azkarah, limited Shabbath guest space in Tapu'ah, and transportation from Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, contact Yekutiel by phone: 054-4876909.

From Tel-Aviv/B'nei Braq, take Dan bus #186 or #286 to Ariel, then tremp from the [northern entrance]. See the Dan On-Line Schedule.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

No'am Federman To Speak At K'far Tapu'ah Melaweh Malkah

29 of the Seventh Month 5769

Hilltop - Settlement Solidarity Concert

No'am Federman to speak and Shivi Keller to appear
in the season premier of the

K'far Tapu'ah Melaweh Malkah Free Concert Series


The K'far Tapu'ah Melaweh Malkah concert is back!

Featuring Jewish Israeli Soul and hilltop star Shivi Keller
with Ben Levine

No'am FedermanNo'am will speak about the recent trauma he and his family experienced, when Israeli government forces destroyed their home and most all of the belongings. He will discuss the implications of such actions, as well as his family's plans to rebuild.


Shivi KellerShivi who was injured in two different terrorist attacks, that resulted in the loss of one of his eyes and severe damage to his legs has a unique style and sound - his music comes straight from his heart and penetrates the hearts and souls of all of those who hear him - An event that you do not want to miss.


K'far Tapu'ah Central Synagogue

Great music, Food and Drinks

FREE

Open to the general public.

Mossa'ei Shabbath Parshath No'ah
(Saturday night, November 1, 2008)

8:30 PM


Contributions to help sponsor this special event and to show solidarity with the hilltops in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria) can be sent to

Mishal LYisrael
P. O. Box 6592
Jerusalem Israel

E-mail: guzofskyyekutiel@gmail.com Cell: 054-4876709

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

More Tapu'ah Nights Live!

6 of the Fourth Month 5768

Don't miss the upcoming Melaveh Malkas with Chaim Dovid and Shlomo Ka"tz at the Tapuah weekly Melaveh Malkah and if you wish to come for Shabbath, this too can be arranged, by contacting Yekutiel by Wednesday.

Enjoy this incredible concert with Aaron Razel and get the word out for upcoming concerts.

If you of know anyone who would like to sponsor a Melaveh Malkah to help bring happiness and strength to the "settlers" in the Shomron, please contact Yekutiel 054-4876709 (outside of Israel 972-54-4876709)

Enjoy!

לא להאמין - אהרן רזאל הופיע שלוש שעות בכפר "תפוח"

אם אתה אוהב מוזיקה אסור להחמיץ צפיה בוידיאו הזה. רזאל בא לחזק ולשמח את תושבי גב ההר בכפר "תפוח" לקראת הגזרות הקשות שאולמרט מתכנן לשבועות הקרובות. וכמו גדול רזאל הוא במשימה. הוא שר מהלב ונתן הופעה מהנשמה. רואים שהוא ממש נשפך וניגן עם כל הכח בהופעה ארוכה במיוחד. ראש המועצה גרשון מסיקה גם נכח. במלווה מלכה הקרובה יופיע, בע"ה שלמה כ"ץ ואולי גם חיים דוד. תפוח מזמין את עם ישראל להשתתף באירוע השבועי מוצ"ש ואף להתארח כל השבת למי שמגיע מרחוק.

וכן, זה חדשות. זה לא פרסום למטרת רווח. זה יהודים שבאים לשמח. גם בשורות טובות יכולות להוות חדשות. מצווה גדולה להיות בשמחה. וכל הכבוד לזמרים היקרים הבאים לשמח את עם ישראל בהופעות חינם.


Motza'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Huqath: Aharon Razel with Elyon Shemesh



Motza'ei Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Qorah: Binyamin Nakonechy



Cross-posted on the B'nai Elim Blog.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Shabbath In Tapu'ah With Dov Shurin!

19 of the Third Month 5768

Dinner was a packed house last Leil Shabbath with Reb Dov and his wife, nine of us from Tapu'ah, and 13 yeshivah students from all over the country, including Jerusalem, B'nei Braq, Tel-Aviv, and Tiveriah.

Speaking in both Hebrew and English, so that everyone would feel included, Dov filled the room with his songs and his stories. I started to wonder, "What's he going to see Mossa'ei Shabbath if he sings all of his songs now?"

Yekutiel Ben-Ya'akov gave a D'var Torah in Hebrew and English as well regarding the spies, the Land and the government. I picked up on the theme in Hebrew, and our friend Pesah did as well, in English, so that there would be a balance.

As I mentioned that night...

"Ashkinazi, Sefardi, Yemenite, native Israelis, immigrants, Haredim, and National Religious sitting together at the same table, singing, eating, celebrating.... This is exactly the kind of thing that the leftists don't want you to see.

"The leftists are worse than the spies. The spies lacked emunah (faith) that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, would be with them as they went up to settled the Land promised to them by the same. The leftists, the Erev Rav, want to give away what is already in our possession, throwing away the Almighty's gift back into His face.

"The pseudo-religious/pseudo-Zionists are worse. They are supposed to know better.

"Every time we invite guests to the parts of the Land, leftists want to throw away, every time Jews choose to come and visit or live here, it is a tiqqun (repair/working against) the Sin of the Spies.

"Even more so tonight, that a group of friends chose Tapu'ah to spend one their last Shabbathoth together as single men. One of their hevre is getting married in a few weeks!"


Not even a suspicious fire threatening one of the adjacent hill top communities was going to stop us from carrying this message of true "Ahduth Yisrael" (Jewish Unity)!

Mossa'ei Shabbath, Dov gave a concert, with Melaweh Malkah hosted by Yekutiel Ben-Ya'akov.

Often controversial, Dov Shurin's politically-incorrect songs always seem to beat Israel government free-speech crack-downs. This is because Dov simply uses pasuqim from Tana"kh (Bliblical verses).

What's the government gonna do? Censor the Torah?

Stay tuned...

Friday, June 20, 2008

Shabbath In Tapu'ah And Saturday Nights Live!

Erev Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Shelah Lekha 5768

Shabbath In Tapu'ah
Since the torching of the hilltop Beth Midrash of Elnaqam 4 three months ago, our traditionally guest-filled, Shabbath tables in K'far Tapu'ah have been pretty shvach.

But we will not be broken!

Last Shabbath marked the first in a long line of summer Shabbathoth to be capped off with a Malaweh Malkah concert.

As usual, and in the true spirit of Ahavath EfYisra'el, Shabbath in Tapu'ah always brings together guests from diverse backgrounds, Hassidish, Litvish, Religious Zionist, modern, all sorts.

Everyone came together Erev Shabbath, and was K'far Tapu'ah has one of the only man-made miqwah for men in the area, the next closest being in Eli. In the colder months, men come from all over the area to

After Tefillath Minhah and Qabballath Shabbath, we learned Mishnah Shabbath 2 "Bameh Madliqin" with the perush of the Ramba"m.

The temperature had gone significantly, so it was a pleasant walk back to the main town, especially with song and conversation of everyone getting acquainted and re-acquainted.

Dinner was traditional Yerushalmi, with bread and salads, and thick spicy soup. Ashkinazy hallah could be seen along side Iraqi lafah, chopped liver along side of matbuhah and zhug, and of course zucchini salad. Ezra's spicy soup capped off dinner, which was followed by schmoozing and singing, and jallah till late. Guard had to be kept over Yekutiel's chollent, so that there would be some for lunch the next morning.

Tefillath Shaharith
, qiddush, and lunch, finally ending at around 2:30, was followed by a surprise trip to the miqwah. A great idea in this heat!

The guys got in a few Z's before the walk back up to the hill for Minhah. Then after a tour of the hill, and its livestock, and pointing out the sites in view mentioned in the Torah, we headed back for Se'udath Shlishith and Tefillah Aravith.

But the "Tapu'ah Experience" wasn't over yet!


Saturday Nights Live!
After Havdallah, it was time to set-up for the Melaweh Malkah concert, starring Rocky Ziegler from Jerusalem!

Some of you may already know Rocky from his 'hood in Jerusalem, Nahla'oth. Rocky also owns and operates Hilltop Studio. Check it out.

Also, Ben honored us with his original "There Ain't No Sex In Terrorist Heaven" (23:30).

And, what you've all been waiting for, the video of last Saturday night's concert!

Stay tuned, Dov Shurin, famous for his Biblical Revenge album, is expected this Shabbath. His concert tomorrow night is not to be missed!




Rocky, lead vocals and guitar, Ben, vocals and guitar; Gavriel, keyboard; Yitzi, straight flute; Meilich, harmonica and vocals; Eliyahu (from Tapu'ah), side flute.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Another Divine Cancellation

13 of the Fifth Month 5766

Last week, while those in many religious communities, in and out of Israel, were celebrating the cancellation [for the second year in a row] of the so-called "pride parade" in Jerusalem, another cancellation may have squeeked by without your notice.

The Depeche Mode concert, scheduled for the night following Tisha b'Av in Tel-Aviv, was also cancelled.

Although I haven't been following Depeche Mode's journey through music and time that much for the past several years, I really have been a fan of theirs almost since their inception in 1980. At one point, I even had my ears pierced just like lead singer David Gahan. The earrings have long since been removed, and, well,...that's another story for another time....

Months ago, when I heard that Depeche Mode was coming to Israel, I debated as to whether I should go. Could I afford the NIS 300 ticket? (approx. $68) Should I go to a concert with mixed [gender] seating? Maybe I could stand outside, and just listen, like we sometimes did in California. Or, should I even go to such a concert at all?

Well, after many months of not even thinking about the Depeche Mode concert, I was walking around Jerusalem with friends who were visiting from LA. We turned up Hillel Street, in a neighborhood where I am almost never seen, and sure enough we ended up passing a ticket office. There in the window was a huge poster announcing the concert, with that blaring date: Aug. 3. My friends asked, "Hey isn't that Tisha b'Av?" What did I know? Back in Teveth (January-ish), I didn't think anything of the date. Other than the occasional form to be filled out at an Israeli government office, I hadn't been the position of having to be bothered by the Western date for a very long time.

My friends quickly checked their calendars. The decision as to whether to go to the concert had been made for me. The concert fell on the night following the Fast of the Fifth Month (Tisha b'Av - commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, among other things). Even on the night following this fast, I would be unable to attend the concert. Most Hallachic (Jewish legal)authorities rule that several of the fast's observances of mourning continue through noon of the next day, just as the Temple continued to burn.

As the soldier abductions and rocket-firing by Hizbollah YSh"W turned into a war, I thought it hardly appropriate to go to a concert anyway, while my brothers in the north were huddled together in bombshelters, getting bombarded with rockets.

A short-lived protest over the concert being held right after the fast was waged by Knesset Members Zevulun Orlev and Nissan Slomiansky (National Religious Party). But their protest was to no avail. Israeli civil law only protects the sanctity of this fast from sunset to sunset. Given the current make-up of the Knesset, I seriously doubt they had any chance of ammending the law, assuming they even thought of such a possibility. Of course, the concert was cancelled anyway.

According to DepecheMode.com, the band's official website, the concert was cancelled "following the latest developments."

Arutz 7 suggests that “'recent developments,' [are] possibly an allusion to the bombing of a populated Hizbullah position in Kana, Lebanon."

YNET reported that according to the band's manager Shuki Weiss, who has family in Israel, and was looking forward to coming, the cancellation began with "a problem [that] came up with the technical team which developed into the refusal of the entire team to get on a plane and come." The report also included the only indication I was able to find as to how the band members themselves felt, with the band's organizer Marek Lieberberg saying that they very much wanted to come to Israel.

Of course, I cannot say for certain how the Depeche Mode concert, inappropriately scheduled in the first place, for the night following Tisha b'Av, came to be cancelled. I will say this, that I do not believe in coincidences. Simply put, the Almighty took away the option from 40,000 people to bop-out at a concert. If they wanted to avoid focusing the on the past and current, sadness and destruction going on around us, they were going to have to find another way to it.