Kobi Asherat: "The doctor said: 'You are on the edge'. Luckily a miracle happened to me and they found me a kidney donor" | Israel today

When was the last time you composed a song?

"I am constantly busy with projects. I have just finished a project for children, all the words of which were written by Tami Armoni, an artist from Ashkelon, who sent me songs and maybe a TV project together. Two months ago I composed a song in honor of the 80th birthday of the late Ehud Manor. By Tal Sundak and Ilanit.

The text for the composition was given to me by Sundek, who received it from the late Ehud 20 years ago. The song is called 'Shir Gil', and it deals with the periods of a person's life.

"I have been in the profession for more than 50 years, and more than 1,500 songs are registered in my name. I have written for several generations, but now the younger generation no longer needs me. They manage on their own. I write with my guard, a few months ago I re-composed a song written by Yair Lapid, "The Lady from the Lake." "We only have the sketch. Recently Mickey found the sketch with Yigal's voice, we did a new arrangement, and released the song in Naomi's honor. It was very exciting for me."

When was the last time you were scared?

"About three months ago, when my partner Ada was brutally attacked by a man who had a psychotic attack, and was really lucky. It was a completely normal day, we went down in the morning for a walk with the dog, and on the lawn next to the house lay a naked guy screaming to heaven. My wife thought he needed help, but I I told her 'leave him' and I kept going. She did not come with me, and as this madman advanced he got up, slapped her to the floor and beat her terribly. "A little kills her. Later that day he was arrested, and is still hospitalized to this day. From what I know, he was in a psychotic attack. Since the incident, my wife and I have been carrying a difficult trauma. Everyone seems suspicious to her, but she will not stop helping people."

When was the last time you were in danger of death?

"In July 2018, I was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in one of the kidneys, and it was removed to get rid of it. I had a kidney disease that was discovered in 2001, not a malignant disease but one that has no cure. If it progresses slowly, you can live with it until age 120. - 2018 I was under surveillance, and after an ultrasound examination I was told that there was a kidney with a cancerous growth of 10 cm and that I had to undergo surgery immediately, otherwise I would be in danger of death. It fell on me like thunder on a clear day. I was not hospitalized even once from the day I was born until this story fell on me.

"I had my kidney removed immediately, but the other kidney was also very ill. I needed immediate dialysis, and it was not an easy process. I signed up for the 'Gift of Life' organization, founded by the late Rabbi Yeshayahu Haber, which recruits donors and adapts them to those in need.

Because of my advanced age there remains a short window of time where if a donor is found I will have a new life.

I was 75, and the doctor told me 'you are on the edge, if you do not find a donor very quickly, in a year we will not implant you'.

Luckily for me, a miracle happened to me, I had a kidney.

"The person who donated it to me is Yoav Matityahu, a wonderful person who I am glad is my friend, regardless of the fact that he is the donor."

When was the last time you went to the doctor?

"Today I went to a friend's doctor who helps me a lot in recovering from the corona. I got sick in the corona this year and was hospitalized. I got infected at a friends party, where everyone said they were vaccinated, but one was sick and unfortunately infected ten of us. Because I have a kidney transplant, my immune system is weak and I take pills every day that weaken it even more, so I have a problem with other diseases, such as corona. "Right now I'm still suffering from pneumonia, but my condition is getting better day by day."

When was the last time you missed?

"The older I get, the more I miss my dear parents, who have not been with us for many years, and I find myself sobbing in their memory. The further away they are from me the more I think about them, see them and also dream about them. My father died in 1982 and my mother in 1997. The day she died I had a show with Ehud Manor and I tried to find a replacement, but I could not and I went up to perform. "My mother's name, I just cried on my canopy like a little boy, because it was still very fresh."

When was the last time you watched a musical reality show?

"I watched a lot of interest in the last season of 'The Next Star.' I was amazed at the sight and sound of the very talented kids, some of whom stood on stage for the first time. The previous ones without any chance of realizing their talent. The reality talent shows are shows that are supposed to bring ratings, commercials and money. There is no truth in it. It really hurts me about the kids who suddenly start dreaming big, and in a day or two That will never be revealed, because the programs are not really meant to show talent.

"Beyond that, when you hear the judges, when they realize that the singer on stage is better than them and they start philosophizing, you feel like Sigmund Freud is in the room and it's really ridiculous. He's got the whole package, and he's a humble and talented man whose head is on the ground. He's going to succeed big time, and all those who dared to criticize him on this show are just a disgrace. "A phenomenon. He is the talent that was born here in my opinion in Israel, and we have not yet seen an end to his ability."

When was the last time you were worried?

"Concern is a part of our lives. Concern for our children and grandchildren who are well, concern for a close friend who has fallen ill and you pray for their recovery, concern for the peace of our country and society full of controversy. Concern to no end. I have not feared God forbid. OK - try to fix. Our biggest asset when we grow up is not an apartment in a tower and not a luxury car to show off, but true friends we have acquired over the years. Ehud Manor wrote in one of his wonderful songs "I collect the fragments, what's left, just a few friends." I have friends from all sorts of periods and circles in life, and I constantly make new friends. "

When was the last time you heard a song you loved?

"Yesterday. I heard for the first time who knows how many 'White Days', a classic written by Leah Goldberg and composed and performed by Shlomo Yidov. It is a song that will remain, because it begins with a very good text that tells a story and touches on a topic that excites people, continues And of course comes in excellent performance and musical production.When all this happens together, I get excited.

"We are an insanely blessed country. All generations have very great talents here, and there is currently no shortage of young talents. Marina Maximilian is a wonderful singer and creator, I recognized this in a tribute we made to Kobi Recht a few years ago. Noa Kirl is a very clever, beautiful and pleasant girl. Who does very successful things commercially. I believe she will succeed abroad and she is right that she is aiming there.

I also really like Peter Roth, who is a great creator.

His grandfather, Salo Roth, a well-known musician and conductor in Israel and abroad, was the one who opened the door for me to a career. When I started my career in 1970, Kol Yisrael had a program dedicated to young artists, and Roth ran it. He was a gentleman. "Real, old generation, and he let me do a whole show with my songs and arrangements. I will always remember this opportunity."

When was the last time you were surprised?

"On New Year's Eve. I have been working for several years with Ofra Cohen, a musician and special education teacher, who works mainly with children with special needs. She is part of an organization that cares for these children and I volunteered to help her. I recruited artists such as David D'Or, Yardena Arazi, Ilanit And others, I connected them to her and they sang for the kids.Over time I formed close relationships with some of the kids, and on the eve of the holiday, knowing I was recovering from Corona, they called from their New Year party and sang me the song '16 filled boy 'live and it was very moving. "Our stay in the world has a reason, and there is no greater fun than doing something for someone and seeing them happy. There is no greater gift than giving."

When was the last time you were very excited?

"Every day I go through a different excitement. Just recently I saw a program about fundraising for needy families, and there was a story of a young guy whose wife had a difficult stroke and he raises two young girls alone and turns worlds to support them. His story touched my heart very much, so I called Life "A challenge and I wanted to find the guy, because I want to help him and his family. Things like that touch my heart."

When was the last time you apologized?

"We tend to apologize very little, even when we know we were wrong. There is always some excuse for why we are right. I have found that a sincere apology from the heart makes one feel happy. I worked on this issue. One can make a mistake, and there is no problem if the mistake was made in good faith. "And not with malicious intent, but if you made a mistake of inattention, even if it is in front of a close person and even if it is in front of a stranger, you need to know how to apologize. There is a lot of power in that."

When was the last time you thought about God?

"From the height of my age I thank the Creator of the world every day with my awakening, who restored my soul to me. We are a little after Yom Kippur, and until two years ago I fasted every year and would go to synagogue, a custom my father managed to plant in me. I believe in supreme providence, and as I get older I find that this power we call God has protected me all my life.

"At the age of 6 I lived in Haifa, and then there were no electric refrigerators but ice refrigerators. In front of our house was an ice cream shop and my father asked me to bring half a block. When I crossed the road, a car tossed me and stopped millimeters from my head.

"The highlight where this providence was revealed to me was 20 years ago, in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. In 2000, I was appointed Consul of Culture by the State Department, and I met all kinds of important Jews. Grand Slam tournament held annually in September.

We had tickets to return to Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight that hit the second tower, but my wife announced she was tired of New York and changed the tickets a few days earlier, so when the attack happened we were already in Los Angeles.

"A musical miracle that happened to me is the song 'Hallelujah', which brought a lot of respect to Israel, and the last miraculous thing is of course my kidney, which was sent to me by the angel Yoav Matityahu. He gave me the most significant gift of my life. Donate one of his kidneys to me, and in doing so actually saved my life. " 

When for the first time?

When did you first feel famous?

"I felt really famous in 1979, when 'Hallelujah', which I co-wrote with Shimrit Or, won first place at the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem. I felt the recognition both in Israel and in the Eurovision community in Europe. Famous for me is when I have professional recognition. That's what matters to me. It's how many people follow you, and it's a terrible industry that destroys society. Everything is industrial and hollow, and people are willing to undress mentally and physically to have tens of thousands of followers. It's bad, and I really hope I'm wrong. "

Kobi Asherat / 77 years old, musician, composer, conductor and arranger.

Born in Haifa, lives in Tel Aviv. Remarried to Ada, fashion designer, father of three and grandfather of eight. 1,500 songs On the holiday of Sukkot, he will perform with David Krivoshi in the show "Our Song" at the "Ushpizin Ashdod" Festival (September 29-22)

shirshirziv@gmail.com