A thousand Israeli musicians recently came together in a moving performance at the amphitheater in Caesarea, calling for the release of remaining hostages still being held in Gaza.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and abducted over 200 more in a surprise attack that sparked an all-out war in the Palestinian enclave. 

The “Homeland” concert was staged under the “Bring Them Home” banner and featured a  mashup of Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikva” and Yardena Arazi’s song “Home.” 

The song, written by legendary poet Ehud Manor and scored by composer Yair Klinger, caused an uproar when it was initially released in 1983, at the height of the First Lebanon War. It was speculated that Manor was calling for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in the song, which was essentially asking to bring the IDF troops “home.” 

The new performance was arranged by musicians Eran Mitelman and Ron Klein. 

The video of the concert, which was Israel’s biggest live music show ever, was directed by Shilo Gallay and Danny Casson. It has already amassed tens of thousands of views on social media. 

The initiative came about when Talya Yarom, veteran producer of outdoor events, kept looking for ways to help the families of the hostages, who are advocating to bring their loved ones back from captivity. 

Yarom published an open-call audition on her social media, and to her surprise nearly 2,000 musicians signed up. Ultimately, only 1,000 music artists ended up participating in the performance, and they were divided into groups based on the instruments they play. 

“I didn’t want any big names,” she was quoted as saying. 

“It was amazing, especially at the end when families of the hostages joined us to sing. They moved us very much.”