A packed house joined together for a moving and uplifting concert by the Israeli duo Yonina, hosted by the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly in partnership with Motion Audio Visual on May 22.

The concert began with opening remarks by Sue Gelsey, the interim chief executive officer of the Kaplen JCC, during which she asked the attendees to take a moment of silence in remembrance of Sarah Milgrim, z”l and Yaron Lischinsky, z”l the two Israeli embassy staff members murdered in Washington on May 21.

Nina and Yoni Tokayer, known as Yonina (a combination of their names), then took the stage alongside their band, beginning their concert with an original piece titled “Lamdeni.” Yonina then performed “One Day” by Matisyahu, the song they sang and recorded while sitting in their parked car, beginning their fame.

During the concert, Nina and Yoni shared anecdotes about their origins as a musical duo, such as how, on their second date, they sang a niggun while working to get their car out of mud in which it was stuck, as well as their experience producing music, singing together and their life together overall. The couple will be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in June and have been producing music together for close to a decade.

Nina and Yoni discussed the hardships of the war in Israel and how they turned to music to express their feelings. They sang “Melaketet Kochavim” (Gathering Stars), written by Nina, discussing both her and Yoni’s experiences on and following the terror attack on Oct. 7 and when Yoni was called up to the reserves. Yoni was initially tasked by Nina with writing his part of the song but was unable to because of the time constraints of his service. They also sang “Elohey Hayeladim” (God of the Children), a prayer they wrote to give strength and resilience to the Israeli children enduring the war.

In a moment that was close to home for many of the attendees, Nina and Yoni spoke about Zechariah Haber, z’l a young man who fell in reserve duty on Jan. 16, 2024. Zechariah left behind his wife, Talia, who made aliyah from New Jersey, and their three children. Talia’s parents were in attendance at the concert. Zechariah was finishing his Ph.D. at Tel Aviv University in plant science and food security, focusing on growing wheat in drought conditions. He had written lyrics for a Shavuot song, feeling that the holiday deserved its own song. Nina and Yoni transformed those lyrics into a beautiful song titled “Mincha Chadosha,” which they sang at the concert.

Throughout the concert, Yonina expressed their love of Israel by singing their Israeli classic mashup and their upbeat song titled “Eretz Yisrael.”

The evening concluded with a memorable encore during which Yonina and all those in attendance joyfully sang songs that have recently symbolized Jewish pride and strength, such as “Am Yisrael Chai” by Eyal Golan, the classic Am Yisrael Chai, and “Od Yator Tov.” The concert concluded with a heartfelt singing of Hatikvah.

The concert was an inspirational evening of music, unity and love for Israel.