Widow of Fallen Soldier Shares Her Grief and New Artistic Endeavor
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Noga Friedman, widow of fallen Shaldag fighter Ido Rosenthal, has launched a new artistic show focusing on inspiration rather than hope. Rosenthal, who was killed on October 7th, described her initial grief as lying in bed crying for 14 hours. She aims to share her music and embrace vulnerability, believing her partner would have been a great musical star. The show is intended to offer inspiration to audiences by embracing one's true self.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Noga Friedman, widow of Shaldag fighter Ido Rosenthal, launched a new show focusing on inspiration.
- Rosenthal's partner was killed on October 7th, leading to a period of intense grief.
- Friedman believes her late partner, Ido Rosenthal, was a talented musician who would have been a star.
- She advocates for replacing the word 'hope' with 'inspiration' in public discourse.
- The show aims to inspire audiences by encouraging vulnerability and self-acceptance.
Noga Friedman, whose partner and the father of her children, Shaldag fighter Ido Rosenthal, was killed on October 7th, is launching a new show. She describes her struggle and how she channels it through her art, stating, "Now that he is gone, there is less inspiration in the world." Friedman recounted her initial reaction to the loss, "People didn't understand my behavior. They thought I was trying to break out and didn't understand why I wasn't responding to their messages on social media, why I would post and leave, and be with my children and not my phone. I lay down and cried for 14 hours in bed, or I sang songs to myself and walked in the forest. In short, I wasn't with you, I was with me. All I can give is myself, and take from it what you will. That was my approach, and it is my approach today."
Friedman aims for her music to resonate with audiences, explaining, "I think my music gives people additional colors to their emotions." She revealed that while she always created music, she feared sharing it. Her late partner, Ido, was a talented musician who she believes would have achieved great success. "He was a star, that man, in a thousand things, just as I am good at many things, and above all, he was good at being Ido, and that filled the whole world with inspiration," she said. She advocates for replacing the word 'hope' with 'inspiration,' stating, "I want us to throw the word 'hope' out of the lexicon. It's an idea that needs to be shattered, it's not good for us."
Her new show is primarily a musical performance with spoken word elements. Friedman clarifies that the show is not a memorial for October 7th or solely a tribute to Ido's memory. Instead, she intends to offer "inspiration" rather than "hope." She elaborated, "For a long time, I felt that no matter what, people would expect me to give them hope, even if I don't expect it from myself. I'm about giving inspiration." Friedman also discussed the importance of embracing vulnerability, noting, "People are constantly hiding their weaknesses because they think they need to be ashamed of them. Everyone will diagnose me as they wish, these are just words. I am Noga, and I realized that I am really good at being Noga and allowing myself to be. I was always afraid to let myself spread out, and I limited myself, but not anymore." She finds the "sparkle in the eyes" of those who attend her shows and watch her film to be the key to a better life, deeming it "much better than hope."