Once again superstar Lipa Schmeltzer is using his celebrity status as a springboard for the greater good, with the release of a music video that uses a hit song to promote solidarity among Jews worldwide, no matter what their background or religious leanings.
The video features the dance sensation Mizrach, one of the most popular tracks from Lipa's recent Leap of Faith album and shows the bespectacled icon singing and dancing with a group of Israeli soldiers, members of the noted Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the Nahal Haredi. Part of the Kfir Brigade of the Israeli Defense forces, Netzah Yehuda was created to give religious Israeli soldiers the opportunity to serve in the army while maintaining a strict adherence to their religious convictions.
With the expiration of the Tal Law one month ago, the Israeli army has been the subject of much media scrutiny as yeshiva students who were previously exempted from military service are now facing the possibility of joining their fellow countrymen in the army. Thousands of Israeli yeshiva students are expecting to receive draft notices in the upcoming future, further widening the division between Israel's secular and ultra-Orthodox communities.
With the release of the new video which clocks in at just under five minutes long, Lipa hopes to help bridge the gap between the two groups, with the clear message of unity amongst all Jews expressed in the lyrics of the song.
"There are chareidim serving in the army and we should value their service" explained Lipa, who has strong ties to the Nahal Haredi. The singer is a close friend of David Hager, a staunch supporter of the religious battalion, who just recently donated an Aron Kodesh to Lipa's Airmont Shul.
Directed by producer Danny Finkelman, the video was shot in various locations around Israel and features the outspoken singer, who is known for his unabashed love of Jews of all affiliations and support of countless Jewish causes, dressed in army fatigues as he dances in a Jerusalem square with Israeli soldiers and with six Israeli teenagers in several other spots across the country.
Produced and Directed by Danny Finkelman
מפיק ובמאי: דני פינקלמן
Co-Directed by Aaron Orian
במאי שני: אהרן אוריאן
Director of photography Mauricio Arenas
צלם ראשי: מאוריציו ארנס
Choreography by Zvika Bornstein
כוריאוגרפיה: צביקה בורנשטיין
Edited by: Michael Puro and Sean Sinderbrand
עריכה: מייקל פיורו ושון סינדרברנד
Assistant Director - Daniel Nethanelov
מפיק בפועל: דניאל נתנאלוב
Production assistant - Ron Aharon
עוזר הפקה: רון אהרן
Executive Producers:
David Hager and Henry Orlinsky
מפיקים: דוד הגר והנרי אורלינסקי.
"Mizrach" composed by Lipa
לחן: ליפא
Musical Production - Naftali Schnitzler
הפקה מוסיקלית: נפתלי שניצלר
Additional music production and mixing - Baba (Zohar) Burger and Nir Graf
עיבודים ומיקס: באבא (זוהר) בורגר וניר גראף
Choir by MK
Casting by Zvika Bornstein
ליהוק רקדנים: צביקה בורנשטיין
Dancers:
רקדנים:
Ross Eliyahu - רוס אליהו
Roy Atar - רוי עטר
Yheyser Kaos Diaz - ייסר קאוס דיאז
Ron Weinstein - רון ווינשטיין
Dima Dementor - דימה דמנטור
Yehoshua Dayan - יהושע דיין
Nachal Charedi coordinator: Aaron Katsof
רכז הנח"ל החרדי - אהרן קצוף
Set photographer - Mendy Hechtman
צלם: מנדי הכטמן
Press release - Sandy Eller
כתיבה: סנדי אלר
Produced by SparksNext
הפקה: ספארקס נקסט
In association with OlamMedia - Israel
'בשיתוף פעולה עם 'עולם ומלואו הפקות
Check out the latest projects on www.sparksnext.com