soothing songs

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Soothing Songs

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Her business card reads: “singer for IDF and victims of terror”. When the radio reports a military campaign or terrorist attack she picks up her guitar and runs to the hospital. Her name is Rita, and while she never appears in Caesarea, she has an audience of thousands.

In a country saturated with wars, military campaigns and terrorist attacks, many are called to serve. Helping ease the sadness and grief that are inextricably linked to the Israeli reality is one special soldier. Armed with a guitar and good will, she has a singular goal: to bring happiness to those who endanger their lives to protect the country and its residents.

The secret weapon of Rita Charlestein, a 50-something Jerusalemite and mother of four, is a song that brings light to a wounded soldier. To this cause she has devoted nearly 30 years. “The soldiers are my heroes and it is a privilege to get to speak with them face-to-face,” says Rita. “When I arrive at the hospital to there may be eight soldiers, there may be 20. Until I visit each one, I don’t leave.”

It all began 27 years ago with the outbreak of the Lebanon War. Rita, a US and Canadian citizen, decided that in those difficult times she had to come to Israel to be with her friends. She wrote to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) that she was coming to Israel for two weeks with her guitar, her ability to sing and good deal of motivation. When she got to her hotel in Israel, a letter was waiting. It said that Rita would be picked up the next day and every day for the next two weeks, and would be taken from base to base. “I spent the next 14 days and nights with soldiers in the field,” she says.

During her ‘wanderings’, Charlestein got to Rambam where she witnessed the harsh reality of war. “To this day, when I enter Rambam, I go back 27 years,” says Rita. “I had never had contact with military people, never knew what a hospital was and certainly never confronted wounded soldiers.” Rita’s meetings with these soldiers turned her life around.

In one room, was a reserve soldier named Danny who had been rescued from a tank that had been hit by ‘friendly fire’. The tank had gone up in flames and all his friends had been killed. He, the only survivor, lied in bed with a burnt body and amputated limbs. “The only part of him that remained untouched was his handsome face. I started to talk and sing to him while I focused on his face and tried to ignore the rest,” recounts Rita. “Danny was depressed and didn’t communicate with anyone, but he responded to my song, and in tears, asked me to stay. The next day, a nurse from the unit called and told me that Danny wanted me to come back and visit him. From that day on, we stayed in touch until his death years after that.”

At the end of those weeks Rita returned to Philadelphia, but her life did not get back on track. A year after that, Rita’s memories of the war had still not faded, and she decided to return to Israel. When she arrived, Danny, the same soldier Rita had met at Rambam, directed her to Simcha Holtzberg, who is known as the “father of the wounded”. This paved the way to her life’s work of encouraging and embracing endless numbers of IDF soldiers and mourning families. For 23 years, Rita divided her time between Israel and the USA, between her biological family and those she adopted. Four years ago, Rita put down roots in Israel. Three years later, she lost her oldest son, Jordan, who was killed in a car accident.

Rita has turned her support of wounded soldiers – and others –into a full-time activity. During the week she visits Rambam and Tel ha Shomer medical centers on a regular basis, and divides the rest of her time between other hospitals throughout the country. Different organizations have put Charlestein in touch with victims of terror, who she has accompanied over the years. Regularly, Rita meets with those who aided Jews during the Holocaust, known as the ‘Righteous among the Nations”, and thanks them in her special way. Rita’s activities earned her a special award from the Chief of Staff, which she received several months ago.

“In a rough estimation, I meet some 3,000 new soldiers every week,” says Rita. “When there is a war or campaign, I grab my guitar and go straight to the hospital. I encourage the wounded, talk to them, hug them and acknowledge them: everything I can do to show them how important they are.”

Again and again, Charlestein fights her own personal battles, which ultimately serve to strengthen her. “I have seen many soldiers with serious injuries and stomach-turning sights, and I had to change my attitude in order to cope,” she says. “I understood that this is not about me, and I am not at the center. The focus is on people who, beyond their injuries and burns, have hearts and souls.”

Rita’s closest friends in Israel are now those same wounded people she sang to and who became, over the years, her extended family.

Rita’s experiences in different hospitals also include happy ones. In three different cases, Charlestein was present – completely by chance – at the first and second births of the same female officers. In all three cases, the wounded officers had previously woken from anesthesia to the sight of Rita playing and singing to them.
Rita’s artistic program is frozen in time. Even for IDF soldiers circa 2009, she sings the old-time, tried and true Israeli repertoire. “Today’s generation may not know these songs, but they connect to them and to their meaning,” she says. “Often, their parents join in, which adds to everyone’s excitement.”

“For me, the funniest thing is when the soldiers are told that Rita (a well-known Israeli pop singer, ed.) is coming to sing for them. But even when it’s just me who shows up, they aren’t disappointed,” says Charlestein. “In times of war – and of peace – I will always be there to sing to our soldiers.”