NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A group of Israeli artists gathered in a Nashville recording booth Monday to make music for a special initiative to fight antisemitism organized by actress Patricia Heaton.
Heaton, an Emmy winner for her role as Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond, serves as founder of the October 7 Coalition (O7C), a nonprofit organization meant to be a network of Christians taking visible stands against rising antisemitism in the United States in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel.
O7C is a founding sponsor of the initiative, a musical project called The Promise Sessions. The goals of the project, also sponsored by Sherith Congregation Israel in Nashville, are to connect Israeli musicians affected by the Hamas conflict, foster collaborations, and provide healing through music for Israelis who have finished serving with the Israeli Defense Forces.
Jewish Israeli citizens are required to serve at least 32 months if male or 24 months if female in the IDF after they turn 18 years old.
Many of the project’s artists gathered for Monday’s event to witness the live recording of one of the project’s first songs, “Small Country,” written by Israeli artist Joseph Bach after the October 7 attacks. Bach originally recorded the song backed by an acoustic guitar, but on Monday he sang live with a small string orchestra in Nashville’s Blackbird Studio. A camera crew was also present to record a music video of the live performance. Bach has performed other songs for the Promise Sessions with an Israel-based indie pop band called Benjamin’s Brother.
Several contributors to the Promise Sessions have been involved with other well-known projects. Accomplished producer and Grammy winner Ron Fair, who has worked with artists like Christina Aguilera, Fergie, and the Black Eyed Peas, directed the music for Monday’s event. Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive and President of Music for the giant gaming company Electronic Arts, serves as producer for the Promise Sessions.
Nashville Rabbi Saul Strosberg of Sherith Congregation Israel had the initial idea for the music project and collaborated with Yossi and Natasha Amit, an Israeli musician couple living in Nashville. Among the other collaborators was Omer Netzer, the self-proclaimed sole Israeli country music artist.
The Promise Sessions also created other initiatives, including providing trips for IDF soldiers and reservists to Nashville to record music, network with music professionals, and participate in healing activities like therapy. The project also invites those who have loved ones who were lost to the attacks to share their stories and collaborate with music artists to create honoring music.
The Promise Sessions takes contributions and will make its work available on Spotify and YouTube once finished.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X/Twitter.
