Dark, Dark! A Dark Day for Israel: R.I.P. Arik Einstein (אריק איינשטיין); Israel's First Rock God.

Hello, everyone. This is me; Hammer, again getting back to the blogosphere only to announce yet, another sad and tragic death of one more music icon in the Middle-East region, this time it's from the State of Israel.

R.I.P.: Arik Einstein (אריק איינשטיין).

Yes, you bet it is going to be hard on Israelis to wake up on another morning without their beloved singer, actor, and rocker Arik Einstein (אריק איינשטיין), who passed away after being taken to the Sourasky Medical Center, Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv; his birthplace, suffering an aortic aneurysm. He was announced dead after the doctors there tried everything they could. Arik passed a month shy from completing his 75th year here on earth, on last Tuesday's night at around midnight.

Arik being taken to his grave by family and friends.

I myself am still in a state of shock like most Israelis are by the news of Arik's death: I share with these folks who live across on the other bank of the River Jordan quite a few things, but beside the language (Hebrew), that I can speak somehow and my father's lineage coming from the coastal city of Haifa... I share the love of this singer whose beautiful —and, funny— music has been the 'soundtrack' of my life for the last 20 years or more.

Arik's burial at Trumpledor Cemetery.

Mourners on Wednesday.

Arik was mourned in Israel in a huge funeral on Wednesday's afternoon, and was finally placed in his resting place at Trumpledor Cemetery. Many weeping fans and devotees flanked his apartment at Hovevei T'Zion street in grievance, and the Prime Minister of Israel; Benjamin Netanyahu himself spoke a few eulogising words before he was taken to the cemetery to be buried, and called him "... The essence of a true, beautiful Israel." Yes, true. And, even when there is little or no peace on that land where thousands of good men and women have walked since Biblical times, let's hope that Arik's soul will reach its Creator and rest in His Peace and Love for an eternity to last.

I can't say much right now; I am pretty much in a state of awe, but I shall leave you with these sad words and an LP album that most critics consider to be the first ever psychedelic rock music album to come from Israel, ripped by yours trully (in 320 kips, with songs' titles in both Hebrew and their translations into English): Capricorn. Dig it down there in all its 'Dylanesque' glory and innocent, childish cover. And, I promise you to give Arik Einstein a full obit-post in a few days, along with all of his best albums.

Arik Einstein(1939-2013)
אריק איינשטיין
R.I.P.

 

Mazal Gdi (מזל גדי) - Arik Einstein
(with The CBS Orchestra, Conducted by, Alex Weiss) - 1968.

Shalom laichim.

H.H.