It was back in March of last year that Zachariah Goldschmiedt and Shlomo Gaisin, better known to the world as Zusha, wrote a song titled “Don’t Leave Me on My Own.” Co-written by Danny Silverstein, the song was intended as an eternal message of inspiration, reminding listeners that every person is a vital component of the colorful tapestry that is the Jewish nation.
A prolific duo whose music has a wide appeal, Goldschmiedt and Gaisin added “Don’t Leave Me on My Own” to their stack of future releases last spring, unsure exactly when they would share the song with the public. With lyrics that delve into the timeless words of Rabbi Baruch of Mezibuz, bumping the heartwarming ballad to the top of their release queue was a decision that just made sense in the aftermath of the October 7 terror attacks.
“We had actually submitted a song to Spotify on iTunes,” Goldschmiedt told The Jewish Link. “But I was listening to music with my sister in the car, and she heard ‘Don’t Leave Me on My Own’ and told me that we had to put this one out right now.”
The timing couldn’t have been more opportune. With Goldschmiedt and Gaisin already preparing for a late-November support trip to Israel, the message of the song—that each one of us is an integral component to our collective survival—echoed the purpose of their mission. The two tweaked their release schedule, pushing other songs back to make space for “Don’t Leave Me on My Own.”
“It was like Rav Baruch was saying about us, ‘Without you Shlomo, without you Zach, there is something missing in the unity of the upper and lower worlds,” said Gaisin. “It is an empowering message: Don’t think that klal Yisroel can continue without you. If you were created, you play an integral role, so get active, get involved.”
Goldschmiedt and Gaisin went to Israel on November 27, just over a week before “Don’t Leave Me on My Own” was officially released. The two teamed up with Unity in Action (known as Achim L’Oref in Israel), which pairs IDF soldiers with volunteers who study Torah on their behalf and pray for their safety and well-being. Unity in Action’s emphasis on ensuring that the overflowing support for Israel that was evident in the early days of the war continues unabated, resonated with Goldschmiedt and Gaisin. They spent three days as emissaries of support, traveling around Israel and sharing the underlying sentiments of “Don’t Leave Me on My Own” everywhere they went.
The two headed straight from the airport to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, visiting with patients. “We spoke with them, learned a little about their stories and played music if it felt right,” said Gaisin. “We warmed up their spirits a little and, most importantly, became inspired ourselves.”
“We met people who had lost limbs—soldiers and civilians,” added Goldschmiedt. “You are just meeting heroes, but they think they are regular people. Each person we met, we could have spent a lifetime with.”
Over the next few days, Goldschmiedt and Gaisin made their way to Gush Etzion for a nichum aveilim visit with a family who had lost a son in the military effort. They also spent time in the West Bank settlement of Otniel where they met with Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, whose son Elhanan was killed in Gaza in the early days of the war.
“Rabbi Kalmanson has a rich knowledge of Jewish music and studies lost nigunim,” said Gaisin. “He taught us two or three songs, and it is incredible to see someone who didn’t want to talk about what he had gone through, but just wanted to teach us, share with us and be positive.”
The two continued on to an Israeli army base where they sang with Lipa Schmeltzer at a barbeque for IDF soldiers, before making their way to the Dead Sea area where they met with families from Sderot who talked about the realities of living in a place where streams of rockets flying overhead is a common occurrence. One of the people they met was an older man from Morocco who had an impressive gold chai necklace around his neck and no yarmulke on his head but peppered his conversation liberally with expressions of gratitude to Hashem, clearly making clear his unshakeable commitment to his Creator.
“I realized in that moment that if you’re a Jew, and you’re proud to be a Jew, but don’t feel so connected to mitzvos at this point in your life, what you do to show connection is to put on a necklace that says ‘chai,’ and even an expensive one to show how proud you are,” said Goldschmiedt. “I have seen chai necklaces my whole life but at that moment I realized why people wear them—because Judaism values life, and how much we value life has been expressed in every stage of this war.”
Also on the Zusha itinerary were visits to Be’er Milka, a moshav in southern Israel near the Egyptian border, and Kikar Hachatufim in Tel Aviv, where they collaborated with another well-known American singer, Eli Schwebel. Also known as Terrorist Square, Kikar Hachatufim is a place with multiple art installations, pictures, signs and a piano in honor of a musically talented hostage, where families wait for news of their missing loved ones.
“We sang classic songs like ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’ ‘Kol Haolam Kulo’ and others towards the end of the day, and it was incredible seeing regular Tel Aviv Jews coming together with Chasidim, Modern Orthodox Jews and people from all walks of life,” said Goldschmiedt. “That was really special.”
The two continued on to Hadassah Har Hazofim Hospital, where they sang for injured soldiers and to the Lachish army base, where they gave out thermal base layers that had been donated by people in America to keep IDF members warm. Feeling the need to forge connections with even more people before boarding their plane at Ben Gurion Airport, Goldschmiedt and Gaisin staged an oceanside concert in Tel Aviv at the Hilton, with arrangements made just hours in advance. It was vintage Zusha, drawing families from across Israel, off-duty soldiers coming home for Shabbat, new olim and even a handful of friends, all of whom came to enjoy the music and the camaraderie.
“There were all sorts of people—religious and not religious, kipa and no kipa, people who look like they learn in yeshiva every day and people who don’t know what a yeshiva is,” said Goldschmiedt. “There was no sound system, just singing, and it closed out the trip beautifully.”
Being able to go to Israel and share the message of “Don’t Leave Me on My Own,” was especially meaningful to the pair.
“We had so many people asking us on social media and email ‘When are you coming to Israel?’” recalled Gaisin. “This was coming from klal Yisroel in general, regular people who are fans of our music, and we wanted to find a way to boost their morale, without asking for money. We just wanted to make people happy.”
Now that they are back in the United States and “Don’t Leave Me on My Own” has been released to the public, the men of Zusha are confident that the song’s message will ring far and wide in today’s challenging environment.
“This is a message for every day,” explained Gaisin. “We are there for people to do something for them. As the Baal Shem Tov said, someone could live their whole lives just to do a chesed for a single Jew. That is something to remember even after this war is over, because that is going to lead us to the geula.”
Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for websites, newspapers, magazines and private clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].
