YIZKOR / Let Us Remember – Israel Portnoy – Poetry in Prayer Album

YIZKOR/Let Us Remember - Israel Portnoy
ALBUM: Poetry in Prayer
Song Credits:
Words & Music by: Israel Portnoy
Produced & Performed by: Israel Portnoy
Additional Production & Mixing by: Yehuda Pinsker
Cello By: Yoed Nir
(All other instruments played by: Israel Portnoy)
Mastered by: Jake Antelis
Video Credits:
Filmed by: David Zimand
BTS: Yehuda Schupper
Edited by: Frank Cettina
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Lest they forget, Let us remember.
Yom HaZikaron. Two halves of the same soul.
You can’t truly accept one without the other. (You can’t birth a baby without the pain of his/her mother.) The less popular of two inseparable twins. It used to be the harder of the two days to tap into; I don’t feel that’s the case anymore. The yin to Yom HaAtzmaut’s yang. You can never truly celebrate Independence without first paying deep respect and honor to what came before it—and the unfathomable price that has been paid and continues to be paid for it.
This year, with 59 hostages still held captive and with us unaware exactly who is alive, a people tries to handle the trauma of the unknowing of who will be added to the "fallen soldiers" list, and who the "victims of terror" counterpart list.
Lest they forget, let us remember.
If they hadn’t forgotten, October 8th (yes, the day after) the world’s passive reaction would have looked very different. But they did forget. We can’t fight their forgetfulness. They’ve done that forever. It’s the one thing they’ve consistently remembered, in fact—to make sure they forget.
All we can do is ensure that WE remember.
I wrote this song 10 years ago after a trip to Har Herzl on Yom HaZikaron that changed me forever as a Jew. I never thought I could release it—it was too "intense" and "personal." I played it live over the years at various intimate "Zikaron BaSalon" gatherings in people’s homes or at small ceremonies, but never recorded it or released it. This year, something changed in me and it felt like the right time. It’s the 5th installment, marking the halfway mark of my Poetry in Prayer album.
I have so much more I want to say, and I’ll try to unpack the pieces over the next few weeks and talk about the inspiration and ideas behind the song. But until then...
I give you "YIZKOR / Let Us Remember," and I dedicate it to every Jewish soul who has paid the ultimate price for our people—the ones who were prepared to die and the ones who weren’t. The warriors and the little babies who couldn’t even talk yet. I dedicate it to Yona Brief Z"L, the sweetest soul and warrior who just this year was added to the sadly growing list. He left a profound impact on me and so many others just like him. For souls lost in the War of Independence or more recently on October 7th—and far too many terror attacks to count, in between. This song is for all of you.
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