Shir Levi Says He Will Return to Performing Despite Online Criticism

Shir Levi, the son of the late singer Yishai Levi, responded on Wednesday to criticism he received after announcing he would perform again in August. In an Instagram story, he thanked supporters and said he was under pressure to keep working despite his grief. "I am going through a difficult period and you give me a lot of strength," he said, adding, "There are some who are a little less supportive." He said some commenters wrote messages such as, "How can you perform?" and "You should not perform for a year and be in mourning."

Levi said plainly, "First of all, I am in mourning," but added that he can perform after the seven-day mourning period, or shiva. "I have no choice," he said, explaining that despite the pain and loss, he must return to work and "keep moving forward, there is nothing else to do."

After canceling an earlier show because of his father's death, Levi announced last week that the postponed performance would now take place on August 4, after originally being scheduled for June 11. Soon after Yishai Levi died, Shir posted that the show was being delayed because of the mourning and that a new date would be announced in the coming days.

In the days after the death, Levi said music and meeting his audience mean everything to him, but that after the loss, "this is the time to be with my family." Israel's entertainment world mourned Yishai Levi, one of the most prominent figures in Mizrahi and Mediterranean music. The family said, "With incomprehensible pain we announce the passing of Yishai. There are no words right now."