When Mom Comes Here – Naomi Shemer – Ariel Horowitz and “The Shemer Sisters 24”

Additional Details

“When Mom Came Here”

Ariel Horowitz and “The Shmer Sisters 24” Sing and Tell the Story of Naomi Shmer

To mark 20 years since the death of Naomi Shmer, musician and songwriter Ariel Horowitz embarks on a unique and moving musical journey through the creative world of his mother, composer and poet Naomi Shmer, in a series of performances featuring songs that shaped the Israeli soundtrack we all share.

As a tribute to the fact that Naomi was the country’s first singer-songwriter, Ariel selected a group of leading young female singer-songwriters who together make up “The Shmer Sisters 24”—the house band of the show.

With his characteristic humor, Horowitz shares personal stories behind his mother’s songs. Together with the singer-songwriters, he pays tribute to Shmer through contemporary interpretations of her songs—interpretations that reveal how fresh and relevant they remain today, while allowing the audience to join in, sing, laugh, cry, reminisce, and feel that the “lost, beautiful, forgotten Land of Israel,” so present in Naomi’s songs, is nevertheless not lost.

The performance “When Mom Came Here” allows us to reminisce about Shmer the creator while also getting to know Naomi the private person.

The name “The Shmer Sisters 24” echoes the pioneering women’s ensemble that Shmer founded in the mid-1960s.

Or Edri, Daniel Rubin, Maayan Linik, Nili Fink, and Einat Harel are among the most prominent and original young singer-songwriters and musicians of their generation. Together, as the show’s house band, they bring to the stage the revolutionary and refreshing feminine spirit that Naomi Shmer brought to Israeli music in her time.

The show premiered on July 21 at Beit Lessin, where Chava Alberstein appeared as part of the “Guest Artists” performance series. Other artists performing Naomi Shmer’s songs include Nurit Galron, Danny Robas, Dikla, Asaf Avidan, Roni Dalumi, Leah Shabbat, Miki Kam, and others.

Guest artists rotate, with one guest artist appearing in each performance. Performances take place throughout the country. Some performances feature no guest artist.

Naomi Shmer drew a map of the country for us—from “The Eucalyptus Grove,” through “Jerusalem of Gold,” to “The White City.” She accompanied us in our pain with “The Two of Us Are from the Same Village” and in our celebrations with “Put on White.” She went with us to kindergarten with “In Our Yard” and to the army with “At the Nahal Outpost in Sinai.”

The audience is invited to:

• Sing
• Laugh
• Cry
• Reminisce
• Be moved

Creative Team

Childhood memories and stories behind the songs: Ariel Horowitz

Arrangements and musical production: Ariel Horowitz and “The Shmer Sisters 24”

• Or Edri — bass, glockenspiel, keyboards, vocals and backing vocals
• Daniel Rubin — piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals and backing vocals
• Maayan Linik — cello, keyboards, vocals and backing vocals
• Nili Fink — guitar, vocals and backing vocals
• Einat Harel — drums, vocals and backing vocals
• Ariel Horowitz — piano, keyboards, bass, vocals and backing vocals

Performance duration: One and a half hours, without an intermission