Behind Shwekey’s Vehi Sheamda That Almost Wasn’t

By Sruly Meyer – COLlive

In the months since the October 7 massacre and the Gaza War, one song that has provided hope and expressed faith for IDF soldiers and Jews worldwide has been an older song based on the “Vehi Sheamda” passage in the Pesach Haggadah.

Composed by Yonatan Razel and sung by Yaakov Shwekey, it debuted on the Jewish music scene in 2001. Shwekey had already released some hit songs—such as Mehairah, Racheim, and Shomati—yet some could argue that “Vehi Sheamda” cemented his status as a worldwide sensation.

“Wow, has it really been 15 years?” Shwekey responded when asked by COLlive.com about the background of this song, today viewed as an anthem of emunah and resilience over antisemitism.

“We were working all day on songs for the Ad Bli Dai album with Ken Burges, A”H,” Shwekey recalls. “We worked with many composers, and the last one was Yonaton Razel. We hadn’t found what we were looking for. As we were wrapping up and putting on our coats, Yonatan said he had one more song he wanted us to hear. He said it was a very special song that he hadn’t put on his most recent album.”

Shwekey says that he liked it and structured the song slightly differently from its original form (“Matzileinu was moved to be the high part, instead of the low part where it was originally.”)

Initially, Shwekey says, “People from the music business came and asked me why I made a Pesach song. ‘It’s never gonna be sung year round’, they said.”

A few months later, Shwekey and Razel performed the song at the Live in Caesaria show in northern Israel.

VIDEO:
Vehi Sheamda 2008: Shwekey and Razel sing for the first time together in Caesarea

“I’ll never forget the responses,” Shwekey says. “The song really came together and had an enormous impact. The song just had this power, and we see 15 years later how this song took over the nation and became a mantra of hope.”

Shwekey adds, “Had we put our coats on a little faster or stopped the session earlier, this song might not have been. It shows you that the Ribono Shel Olam orchestrates everything in life and everything is meant to be as Hashem planned. It’s been a tremendous zechus to bring this song to the world.”

VIDEO:
Vehi Sheamda 2021: Razel and Shwekey reunite at Shwekey Live Park

Shwekey is launching a new album, released in 4 different parts, consisting of 6 songs, a total of 24.

Each part will reflect a different segment of the Jewish world and honor how we are all one body, one soul. The newest song is titled “Guf Venshama.”

VIDEO:
Yaakov Shwekey – Guf Uneshama