Many rushed to support Israel after Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, attending rallies, holding prayer services and shipping equipment to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.
John Ondrasik, the American singer and songwriter who goes by Five for Fighting, decided to write a song.
“Music can reach people no other medium can,” he told JNS at the Jewish Federations of North America’s pro-Israel rally on Nov. 10 in Washington, D.C., where he performed. “That’s something that I’ve been trying to impress on people for a long time—the power of the arts.”
The 59-year-old, non-Jewish Grammy-nominated singer released his single titled “OK” in January in response to Oct. 7. The song’s subtitle, “We are not OK,” indicates the song’s main theme: the devastation and grief that the pro-Israel community experienced in the wake of the deadliest attack for Jews since the Holocaust. The video creates a collage of footage from the assault in southern Israel, antisemitic protests and pro-Israel rallies in the backdrop of Ondrasik’s music.
“It is a song that did not get one spin on the radio, did not get one spin on MTV, but it’s had tens of millions of views,” the musician told JNS. “It’s an example of how music can not only provide solace to people who are suffering but also provide an alternate narrative to what we are seeing in the culture.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean that artists are more empathetic towards Israel. Ondrasik has seen prominent antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages on social media, including on TikTok, because many artists have “espoused” such perspectives, he told JNS.
“So many Israelis and Jewish people around the world feel abandoned by the arts. That’s because they have been,” he said. “Hopefully, as more time goes by, more artists will have the moral spine to speak up.”
Ondrasik wants his music to reassure Israel supporters—many of whom feel abandoned by the world right now—that others understand what is happening.
“The silence of the music industry has been a historical shame,” he said, and one it “may never recover from.”
“Everybody stood up for America after 9/11,” said Ondrasik, who also released the song “Superman” in honor of the heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks. “The fact that after Oct. 7 those same artists are silent is a disgrace,” he said. “There’s no other way to say it.”
‘Strength and solace’
At the Washington event, Ondrasik performed “Superman.” In a speech before the performance, he recognized IDF soldiers as heroes and wore a dog tag for the hostages in Gaza.
“Especially after a really tough election, I think it’s very nice to see members of both political parties coming together for Israel today,” he told JNS at the rally.
“Coming together gives people strength and solace,” he added. “It gives people a sense that what they see on the news and in the world is not reality.”
Ondrasik thinks that it is “critical” for non-Jews, within and beyond the art world, to stand up for their Jewish neighbors and “take the narrative out of Israel-Palestine.” For Ondrasik, standing up for Israel is no different than supporting Ukraine or the Iranian and Afghan people, especially women.
One need not be Jewish to condemn Hamas, according to Ondrasik. “This is not about religion in my mind,” he said. “This is about good versus evil.”
Some artists, who fear for their safety or worry that their concerts will be protested, won’t speak out for Israel, Ondrasik said. He noted that he has extra security at some of his shows.
“I’m not saying they’re wrong. I understand that sentiment,” he told JNS. “But I also say to them, ‘You understand those are the same arguments people used in 1938.’”
“I’m saying simple truth. Free the hostages. Support those who are fighting terror,” he said. “That shouldn’t be hard, but for some reason it is.”
Ondrasik does not believe Americans are doing enough for Israel, and the United States must “stand publicly” with its ally.
“The ending image of my ‘OK’ video is Martin Luther King’s quote” about how “silence in the face of evil is complicity,” Ondrasik said. “As cowardice is contagious, so is courage.”
