© CBS NEWS
On November 26, 2023, a private villa in Sherman Oaks became the setting for Voices of Hope, a benefit concert organized in response to the war in Israel. Fifteen professional musicians performed for an audience that included both Jewish and non-Jewish attendees, many of whom were seeking a space for reflection, solidarity, and support.
The concert was produced and curated by composer and pianist Shaked Shachar, a Los Angeles–based artist originally from Israel. As news of the conflict reached him from abroad, Shachar began looking for a way to respond that felt concrete and responsible. Music, his primary medium, became the framework through which that response took shape.
The program combined original compositions by participating artists with newly arranged Hebrew and English works, including Shir Lamaalot (Psalm 121), Hallelujah, and Bring Him Home from Les Misérables. Although the event sold out, its impact was defined less by scale than by atmosphere. Several audience members had recently left Israel following personal loss or displacement, and the concert offered a rare opportunity to experience grief in a shared setting.
Shachar shaped the musical program with careful attention to emotional flow. The repertoire was selected to acknowledge collective trauma while still allowing moments of calm and resilience. Bring Him Home emerged as a central piece, reflecting the immediate reality of the hostage crisis and the broader sense of longing present throughout the evening.
Voices of Hope followed another fundraising effort earlier in the month. On November 11, 2023, Shachar performed alongside Avi Refaelov and Noam Wolf at the Bring Them Home fundraiser in Beverly Hills. The event drew more than 300 attendees and included an onstage panel featuring family members of hostages. Speakers included Dr. Sheila Nazarian, known for her work in medicine and media. Journalists from Fox News, The New York Times, and KCBS were in attendance.
Together, the two events raised more than $40,000 for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and for Israeli soldiers affected by the war. At the Sherman Oaks concert, Shachar also organized a letter-writing station where attendees wrote messages to soldiers. In response, soldiers sent video messages of thanks, which were screened during the event, creating a direct exchange between performers, audience members, and those serving abroad.
Rather than presenting music as a solution, Shachar framed it as a means of connection. Through Voices of Hope and related initiatives, performance became a space for listening, remembrance, and presence. In a moment marked by distance and uncertainty, the concert demonstrated how cultural gatherings can offer collective meaning without attempting to resolve the crisis that gave rise to them.
Shaked Shachar, producer and pianist of the “Voices of Hope” benefit concert,
performing for the audience in Los Angeles
© Jakub Kowalczyk