Only minutes before the interview is to begin, Yonasan Hill receives a phone call informing him that his son is being rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendix operation. The interview is held off until he contacts the hospital and speaks to his son minutes before surgery is to begin. His other son is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment. It's a tough way to start an interview about uplifting songs but the theme of Elyon's music is appropriate.
Songs like "Keep Your Eyes on the Light" and "Such a Power" deal with overcoming obstacles in life, and finding the positive. Faith in a higher power and prayer is a common theme in the duo's lyrics, both in Hebrew and English.
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Elyon is a combination of the two musicians' names, Eliezer and Yonasan. Both sing and play guitar. Their debut album features a full backing band of percussion, piano and bass. Their newly released Live in Tveria CD has an equally full and flavorful sound with just two acoustic guitars and two voices in harmony.
"The word Elyon means high," relates Kosoy. "The idea is to get elevated and elevate each other."
The lyrics to songs like "Keep Your Eyes on the Light", adds Hill, "don't mention Hashem, but us being religious Jews, we try to make our goal to follow mitzvahs [commandments], to learn Torah and to inspire others to do it as well." Indeed, many of the English songs have no overt Jewish references at all.
Kosoy's most memorable incident as a musician was a letter from a fan. "I received a letter from someone that was struggling with their path in life." says the singer. "They said our CD helped them to gain strength and return to a path of mitzvahs. To me, that's what it's all about. If people are getting happier and more positive, that's the goal."
Yonasan Hill grew up as a Skvarer hasid in the United States. His father is the well known actor Steven Hill, famous as District Attorney Adam Schiff on TV's Law and Order -- a role he played for 10 years. Before that he was the original Mr. Briggs on Mission: Impossible. The younger Hill has never seen the program and barely any of the father's work. He doesn't own a TV at all.
"I remember I was there in California. He had already become religious," says Hill of the Mission: Impossible days. "He left the show because they wanted him to work later on Fridays. They were pushing him to the last second before Shabbos. He tried for many years to make a living in insurance and in different things, but it wasn't really him. So he went back to acting."
Hill relates a story particularly inspiring to him. "My father had an offer. I don't remember which movie it was, but it was a million dollar contract. This was 25 years after he had been religious already. He turned it down because they wanted him to work on Shabbos. That was the only stipulation. I asked him, why would they attempt to get you to do such a thing when they know you haven’t worked on Shabbos in 25 years? He said, 'it wasn't them, it was Hashem giving me a little more medicine. Just the finishing touches.' I really look up to my father. He has a lot of strength and faith."
Interestingly enough, the actor's first foray into the world of hasidic Judaism was not to seek spirituality. "I remember the first time we went to New Square [the New York community of Skvar hasidim], I was 6 years old." says Hill. "It was on Simchat Torah, before he became religious. He was going to see how they danced and acted to pick up some shtick from all these frum yidden [religious Jews] jumping around. But we were just blown away. I was only 6, so all I could see were these big black boots, but it was enough for me." The event inspired the family to adopt a religious Jewish lifestyle.
Eliezer and Yonasan originally formed Elyon after meeting at a Shabbat table in Jerusalem. They impressed each other by singing the traditional Shabbat melodies. This, despite the fact that Kosoy is of the Breslov movement and Hill is Skvar.
"We've hurdled the differences." jokes Kosoy, and continues to describe the similarity between different hasidic groups. "Focus on the good points. Never give up hope. Have faith that everything that happens is for the best. I'm not living this completely yet, but I'm trying. We all have our ups and downs. But the goal is that everything that Hashem does it good." It's a heavy message in light of Hill's own family illnesses.
Both clad in black coats, white shirts and black kippahs, they could be mistaken for New York area hasidic pop singers, rather than an acoustic folk duo. In regards to modern Jewish music, Hill comments, "My son is in the hospital now with leukemia. Baruch Hashem he is getting better now. Who visits him? Lipa Schemltzer, Shwekey, [popular hasidic pop singers]. These guys are out there and not just making albums and going on an ego trip. They're actually helping and inspiring people. Then then you have musicians like us which is kind of a folk style. But I think all Jews have a holy purpose in life, as opposed to a secular approach which is just 'live and be merry.' We know there's more to it."
"We have to accept what Hashem gives us." says Hill. "We're at the end of the sack of wheat and Hashem is shaking it out. All that's left is just the dust. But to get that dust out takes a lot of shaking."
To contact the group, email elyonsong@gmail.com
Ben Bresky is a music critic from Jerusalem and host of The Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast on Arutz Sheva - Israel National Radio. For mp3 archives click here.