“I’ve been through a shaming journey in the last year”

Shuli Rand is waiting for Christ

(Production and direction: Assaf Talmudi, Photography: Jason Gilbert, Editor: Raanan Fogel)

The last year has not been easy for anyone, but on the fringes of Rand she has hit several times. What began as a promise of a new era – a return in full force to creation and stages With the show about his life, “Throw” – Finished in just a few weeks, about a month in fact. The show aired in early 2020, and in March the corona began hitting Israel.

In the midst of all this, Rand had to deal with the rumors about his personal life and the refusal to divorce he was suffering from; With the family rift, with the distress as an artist, with the distress as an ultra-Orthodox – and even with the corona itself that recently also reached one of his children (his condition is good, thank you for being interested).

Today (Thursday) it launches its premiere for Ynet surfers His novelty for “Waiting for Christ”, The 36-year-old classic of Shalom Hanoch – and the news of the return of “Tashlich” to the stages. He is singing “Waiting for the Messiah” as part of the show that was shelved in Abu, and is now re-emerging.

Messiah did not come?
“The choice of this song is like a lot of works written before this crazy period and received a shot of topicality. Words like ‘the public is stupid and therefore the public will pay’ are appropriate for the period and are also part of the show, in our deep need for Christ.”

Did you talk to Shalom Hanoch about the performance?
“No. And I’m curious and a little scared. It’s a classic piece. I was also apprehensive before the first launch of the remake, because it’s not the usual format, but the joy is immense. The meetings with the audience were great, but then Corona came and cut it all off, .

The Corona hit Shuli Rand twice: as an artist who could not perform and earn a decent living – and as someone who repented more than two decades ago and joined the Breslav Hasidism and the ultra-Orthodox world, it Which has experienced immense outrage in the past year. Out of sympathy with the workers in the cultural industry who have been silent for many months, he wrote in May the song “Brothers Brothers” (“Love of the Stage Workers”).

In April last year he did not hesitate to attack the sector, due Failure to comply with Ministry of Health guidelines, Which led to a huge wave of patients and deaths. Later, anger over his treatment was won by the ultra-Orthodox from the authorities and the media. The ultra-Orthodox public has a large coefficient of rage against it, and it has absorbed strongly, much more than it deserves. Also in this case, he expressed the pain when he released last October the song “Since the permission was given”, which expresses the complexity of the situation.

“This is one of the hardest things a person can go through. Today we are in a situation where anyone who has a quarter of an opinion can say it in public. We are surrounded by slander in insane amounts.”

“I identify with the ultra-Orthodox public, even though sometimes it upset me and it hurt me,” Rand says, “but I was also hurt by the actions they took against him. The behavior of the ultra-Orthodox, but also of everyone, is a kind of acute crisis of confidence. And wounds are carried away from this period.The corona is not only a physical problem but also a spiritual matter.I, like the whole world, go through upheavals.And whoever believes that everything is an experience in life – as one who talks about life and faith and strives for faith – is the test of faith; The private statement to me. “

“It is possible that the corona will deepen the rift in the people, and as someone who tries to work to weaken the tension, this is definitely not an easy time,” Rand adds, focusing on the damage done to the status of culture in the country. “There is a fundamental struggle between spirit and matter. Supposedly it is impossible without art, but spirit is in a more problematic and weak position, because man really needs shelter and food first. Art begins the struggle in a weak position, so it needs to shout more.”

For the past two years, Rand has had to deal with the family rift his life has suffered. The media reported extensively on the separation of Michal and Shuli, and people close to him claim that he was denied a divorce. Into all this were compressed slander accompanied by a legal battle and headlines he would have given up. “I went through a journey of shame and shaming in the last year,” he says. “This is one of the hardest things a person can go through. Today we are in a situation where anyone who has a quarter of an opinion can say it in public. We are surrounded by slander in insane amounts.”

So there is no choice but to sue?
“It’s the only way. It’s either diving into this endless thing, or acting in a normal way. And the normal way is to put a limit on the matter of defamation.”

Good things also happened inside. The rumors talked about the marital relationship that developed between him and Scout Grant, and in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet Told his friend, Yuval Dayan“I came to consult with them about a lecture I gave after not talking to Shuli for a long time. We sat with her all night. Even then I saw that they were really, really, really happy. Scout is a caring person. And it’s from God, this love of theirs. That there is someone in the world who can contain “The pain and what Shuli went through. Shuli is huge. A woman who can contain this thing and also enjoy the fruit is just a scout.”

“I found a lot of friends who were there for me,” Rand says. “I discovered a lot of good people who want to help. I found out there are a lot of lovers. A lot of people were waiting for me to start stepping into life.”

“It is said that it is impossible without art, but the spirit is in a more problematic and weak position, because man really needs shelter and food first. Art begins the struggle in a weak position, so it needs to shout more.”

And how did the kids cope this year with the change in your life?
“I was able to rehabilitate a lot with the kids,” he chooses words carefully and carefully, “I really see miracles in this thing. It’s not that things are resolved. Some things they start to accept, some things fail. I hope eventually it will be okay, and I’m very optimistic, But I prefer not to talk about it anymore. ”

So let’s talk about a new album?
“There will be another album, I’m working on songs. A new song we’ve been working on lately will be out soon.”

He calls the show “Throw It Down” a “musical for one person.” This time it is not a marathon of songs that Rand composed, between which there is an occasional short and amusing pause. As someone who started his life on stage as a theater actor, he chooses to tell the story of his life: childhood, the transition between the religious and secular world, and from there ultra-Orthodox. Skipping between Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as the difficulties.

Shuli Rand on his special child

(Photography and editing: Eli Mandelbaum)

On stage there is a group of musicians accompanying him, and between the stories Rand performs only two of his songs – “Know My Beloved” and “Throw”. Everything else – performance of songs by other composers, for example “Until the Next Pleasure” by “The Witches”, “Growing Pains” by Aviv Gadge and “Sparks” by Fortissahroff.

“I identify with the ultra-Orthodox public, even though sometimes it upset me and it hurt me, but I also hurt the actions they took against it. The behavior of the ultra-Orthodox, but also of everyone, is a kind of acute crisis of confidence.”

Choosing songs so beloved and familiar is meant to please the audience?
“No, each song was chosen based on the story before it and something related to the show, along with Assaf Talmudi who was in charge of the musical production and Eitan Blum the artistic advisor of the show. For example, when I talk about leaving the secular world, I perform the beautiful song by Adi Ran.” “Do not look back. After I tell about bereavement, I perform ‘Amir Lev’s Road No. 1, which has elements of bereavement.”

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