American-born Israeli actor, singer, and model Ran Danker experienced one of life’s most profound juxtapositions in October 2023: his daughter was born through surrogacy just one week after the devastating October 7 attacks. This timing would fundamentally reshape his understanding of his voice as an instrument of healing. The transformation began at a funeral. Danker was invited to perform Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the service for field observer Roni Eshel, a young woman he had never met. “Hallelujah” had become Roni’s anthem – a song her parents had cherished together while she was still in her mother’s womb. Despite having his own one-month-old baby at home, Danker felt compelled to attend the funeral and perform.
“I found myself singing a cappella to 30,000 people, and the entire crowd joined in,” Danker recalls. “I thought about my daughter at home and the reality of our lives here. I don’t want to run away from it. Even though my daughter has just been born, I want to go out, meet people, embrace and be embraced. It melts away some of the fear.”
That moment of collective singing through grief became a revelation. Since October 7, Danker has discovered that his voice, which he received as a gift, can be given to others as comfort. This realization has become a source of hope, alongside the simple but profound act of human connection: meeting people, hugging, and being hugged.
In Beit Avi Chai’s online series “Song of Hope,” Danker channels this newfound understanding into a performance of Shlomo Artzi’s classic Bo’ee Venatir (“Come, Let’s Let It Go”). Artzi, one of Israel’s most successful singer-songwriters, created a song that has taken on new meaning for Danker during wartime.
Danker finds intimate meaning in this song, viewing it as a love song for his partner and their baby. He’s particularly drawn to the line “how I surrender to you,” explaining that “love is something that you surrender to.” In a time of national trauma, this message of surrender – not to fear, but to love and human connection – has become his source of strength and hope.
