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A Chance to Sing Old Songs with 12,000 of Your Closest Friends
(JTA) Alan D. Abbey - Koolulam is a year-old social phenomenon that has gathered thousands of Israelis to sing together. Last week, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin joined Koolulam at a mass singing of Naomi Shemer's "Al Kol Eleh" to honor Israel's upcoming 70th anniversary. It's the kumsitz updated for the 21st century, with Israeli tech, glitz, media savvy and the positive vibes we need. We were divided into two groups, one to sing the melody, and the other the harmonies. Once we were primed, the Jerusalem Street Orchestra took the stage, as did popular Mizrahi singer Shlomi Shabat. We did five takes. The emotion, passion and joy created was authentic, honest and deeply felt. The writer is media director of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.