Dr. Naftali Moses, whose son Avraham David was murdered three years ago in the terrorist attack on the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem, has come up with a unique way to commemorate his son’s memory: through Jewish music. Dr. Moses has helped plan and sponsor a number of memorial concerts featuring various talented Israeli musicians. This week, a group of musicians headed by singer/actor Baruch Brenner gathered in Tel Aviv to record an album of original Jewish music based on the Book of Psalms. The album, sponsored by Dr. Moses, will be dedicated in Avraham David’s memory. “We found three years ago after the attack on Mercaz HaRav that one of the things that helped us greatly in filling the hole that was torn in our hearts and in our homes was Jewish music,” Dr. Moses recalled. “One of the reasons for that is that Jewish music really manages to be a bridge between the earthly world and the heavenly world. It manages to bridge the gap between the physical world and the spiritual world.” Dr. Moses hopes that when people listen to the new album he has helped sponsor, they will remember Avraham David. “Part of my idea in helping organize this project is that people will hear this music and connect it to his memory,” he said. “I think that it’s important and I hope that my son from above agrees with me.” Dr. Moses believes that today, his son continues to exist in a spiritual way. “My rav said that existence continues but only on a spiritual level,” he said. “It’s something that here – where we’re both physical and spiritual beings on earth – it is difficult for us to understand, but eventually we all reach that point.” The massacre in the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva took place on the first day of Adar Bet, three years ago, at 8:30 P.M. A terrorist entered the yeshiva bearing a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire in the library. Eight were killed at point-blank range and nine others were wounded. The terrorist was killed by an army officer who lived across the street and ran over to help and by an older student who shot from the roof. He was an Arab citizen of Israel. The eight yeshiva boys murdered were Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar, Ro'i Aharon Roth, Neria Cohen, Avraham David Moses, Segev Pniel Avichayil, Doron Mahareta, Yonadav Hirschfeld, and Yochai Lifschitz.
