A heavy grief fell yesterday (Monday) on the world of Hasidic music when news of the death of Hasidic singer Dedi Graucher became known. Throughout his years he accumulated friends and acquaintances and was one of the greatest Hasidic singers and delighted the people of Israel with his well-known hits "I will give you this land" and "He will redeem us". But beyond being a singer, Dedi was first of all a dear friend and person. friends tell about Dedi's personality, from childhood to the present day. "He was a gift to the world, in his singing you could hear the kindness of his heart."
Maestro Eli Yaffe was one of his close friends, in a choked voice he describes the unique character of Graucher. "Dedi was a special figure in Jewish culture, his singing was full of soul, you felt that the man didn't sing from the voice but from the heart. There is a verse that says "And the Lord your God will heal your heart", the initials of mind and heart, that was Didi", Maestro Yaffe eulogized him.
"brought a smile to people who were broken and torn"
Maestro Yaffe told about Dadi's work: "In addition to being a singer, you could hear his kindness in his singing. The man knew how to lift the spirits of depressed people, an extraordinary asset as a human being and as a singer, and this stood out in his singing. He would go to the places of mourners who were broken and torn And he would put a smile on their faces. He would put everyone in a good mood and was always a center of love, laughter, unity. All of this stood out in his singing. He had a purity that is hard to find elsewhere today."
Menachem Cohen, who served in the past as Deputy Director of the Ministry of Education, talks about his close friend for decades. "Dedi was a very close friend, our souls were connected with each other. He was a unique person, you don't meet many people like him. He had an amazing presence everywhere, was a loving person and a people's person. Always looking for where he can do more 'mitzvah and simcha', he had a lot of favors that later turned out to be done in secret. There were all kinds of charities that he would give and do and he would recruit people for other charities," says Cohen with great pain.
According to him: "Dedi was a unique person, I had the privilege of meeting many people in my life, I have never met anyone like him. A person who will be remembered in the hearts of everyone who knew him, there is not one that is not engraved in his heart and a huge memory remains of him. It is such a great pain that you cannot digest Him, it will take a long time to digest the pain that Dedi is no longer with us. A person who is full of joy and giving, it's really unimaginable, people will walk with this sadness for many years to come, he was a gift to the world and it's a shame he was taken so soon."
"The happiest person I've ever known"
Media personality Menachem Horvitz was one of his closest friends to pay tribute to his friend who passed away. Dedi was the happiest man I ever met. When we sat in a group and talked, as much as I tried to be more smiling than him it didn't work. When he got up in the morning his goal was to make Malka his wife and family members happy. Even meeting people he didn't know, religious, secular, left-wing and right-wing, always five minutes after he arrived, made many good people smile.
He will be remembered as the happiest person I have ever met. He was kind, helped people, reached the joys of people who didn't have the money to pay for a show. He made Jews happy in Israel and around the world. This is such a great loss at such a young age with abilities in the field of music, singing and kindness. All of this disappeared within hours, to our great regret."
Bracha Zisser, the widow of the late businessman Motti, is on very good terms with the Graucher family. With excitement and tears, she described the many years of acquaintance: "We have known Dedi for many years, he came into our lives when we were young friends in the same group. Many years ago, Moti wanted to get the National Religious Party to come to power and have maximum representation in the Knesset. He initiated a big event in Yarkon Park, which was attended by many people from the religious community. On the stage were Avraham Fried, Mordechai Ben David, Yossi Green and Dedi, of course, in a celebratory concert of Green's songs as well as talks .
"In those elections, the National Religious Party won an all-time record of mandates, since then there has been no such representation for our public. We moved from Bnei Brak to Petah Tikva near the house of Dedi and his wife Malka, the families became very close, the children lived in each other's house. We celebrated many joys together and went through sad events. Daddy was a very close friend, knew how to laugh and say a kind word. We are committed to any help. He always heard about cases of widows and orphans who needed help, always helped with a generous hand and recruited people to help.
A huge man with a big heart who always helped many. My heart goes out to the family and Malka his wife who fed him in recent years. They had an outstanding relationship, built a magnificent home. Our group was very close to each other, many parties and events together. After Moti passed away and now Dadi, it's a big loss. His passing landed a big blow on the group and a big shadow, we are all grieving, entering Rosh Hashanah with a heavy heart and tears in our eyes."
"A man of kindness and truth"
Conductor and musical arranger Yuval Stopel has been marching with Dedi for nearly 30 years. "He was a man of grace and truth like the song "Grace and Truth met". With him it really was like that, beyond the words. My first acquaintance with him was musical, I was a soldier in the military rabbinical band and he came to perform with us, where I met him for the first time, only years later Then we connected personally at Moti Zisser's home. For years I was a collector in the minyan that my father founded at Moti's home and we met intensively. After Moti passed away, Dedi fell ill, I was with Avraham Fried several times at his hospital, at his home and at his joys. A man of optimism, loved people, abundant charisma.
Yuval continues his words and tells a small but profound story about Dedi. "Fifteen years ago, my grandfather was in New York, he called me one day, I was after my discharge from the army, he asked me where I was, I answered him in Bnei Brak. He gave me an address and would take an envelope from there, I asked him about something, he said don't ask questions and that the envelope Be at your place, call me. When she was at my place, he asked me what day was the performance of Zichron Menachem, I told him that it was tonight. He was Mona Rosenblum's manager at that event.
Dedi told me that the sale of the tickets is not at its peak, you have enough money, go buy all the remaining tickets and distribute them so that people will come. I drove to Eliyahu, purchased all 1000 tickets, and within a few minutes the word about the distribution spread and the hall was full. People have arrived. In a comforting memory, I was asked for years where the donation came from, my grandfather does not want them to know about it. Only a few years ago in a radio interview he agreed that I would tell it."
Stopel goes on to describe Dedi's last years: "He had a huge heart. I had the privilege of Sukkot two years ago, they did an event for the Marava yeshiva and I knew about our relationship with Rabbi Chait, I decided to surprise him, my children study there. I told Dedi come and perform, he told me you know I don't sing, it's hard for me, I told him, it will be good for everyone. In the end he surprised and came, he went on stage in the middle of the show and sang with a cracked voice and could hardly breathe, but his heart covered all these problems. In my opinion this It was the last time he sang on stage at a public event."
"Talking about Dedi in the past tense sounds like an imaginary movie. The man was full of life. A bomb of energy, he was all full of joy even though he went through a difficult life in his childhood, but he took the pain and suffering to places of joy. the things and applying them, the big problem is that we live here and now, hear something, get sad and hurt and move on in life."
