JERUSALEM — For Shulem Lemmer, music is often released into the world without knowing where it will land — or whose life it might touch. On Monday, he shared a remarkable story showing just how far one song had traveled.
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Lemmer said the moment began about a month ago with a chance conversation on a flight, where he struck up a chat with a fellow passenger and exchanged phone numbers. Days later, he received an unexpected and emotional call while riding in a taxi.
The caller, an English-speaking Israeli taxi driver, explained that he needed to connect Lemmer with someone immediately. He then passed the phone to a father whose son had been critically wounded while fighting in Gaza.
The father told Lemmer that while sitting alone in his car, overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty, one of Lemmer’s songs — “Hineni HeAni” (הנני העני), released in 2023 — began to play. As he sang along, the father said he felt an intense closeness to Hashem and a sense of calm he had not felt since his son was injured.
The next day, the father brought the song to his son’s hospital bedside. According to the father, as the music played, his son — who had been in a coma — began to stir and then woke up.
Fighting back tears during a FaceTime call, the father thanked Lemmer, telling him the moment had changed his life.
“It was so special to hear that story,” Lemmer said.
Deeply moved, Lemmer promised that the next time he traveled to Israel, he would visit the wounded Israeli soldier in person. During a recent trip, he fulfilled that promise, stopping at the hospital to sing the song at the young man’s bedside.
“You never know what you do,” Lemmer reflected. “You sing a song somewhere, and it resonates with people all over. It’s such a special feeling.”
Lemmer said the experience left him reflecting on hashgacha pratis — divine providence — and reinforced his belief that music can carry people through their most fragile moments, even from thousands of miles away.
Beautiful song & story. This song gets me every time and has helped me get through some road trips. Surprisingly, I like the way it sounded in the hospital better without the extra music.