An Evening for Israel in Vienna

At the invitation of Christians for Israel Austria, approximately 400 Jews and Christians who stand in solidarity with Israel, gathered on 7 September, 2026, at the MuTh, the Music Theater in Vienna, to enjoy an evening of music featuring Israeli songs and “golden oldies” performed by the Shalva Band, who had been flown in from Israel for the occasion.

The particularly moving solidarity event took place just days before Rosh Hashanah in support of the Shalva Sharabi Family Center, a rehabilitation and therapy center being built in southern Israel for families who survived the terror-attack of 7 October 2023. A substantial amount was raised for the project that evening.

The Evening for Israel was hosted by the chairwoman of Christians for Israel in Austria, Marie-Louise Weissenböck. Among the prominent guests in the hall were the Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Austria Ilay Levi Judkovsky, the Chief Rabbi of Vienna Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer, the President of the Jewish Community in Linz Dr Charlotte Herman, as well as the founder of the Shalva organisation, Kalman Samuels, who celebrated his birthday that same evening.

Kalman Samuels gave a short insight in how the institution Shalva had come into being.

Believing that the care of children with disabilities should not be left to the family alone, Kalman Samuels and his wife Malki created a therapeutic environment in which children with disabilities could grow and thrive. This approach was based on the Samuels’ own experience with raising their son Yossi who was left blind, deaf and acutely hyperactive as the result of a faulty vaccination.

Yossi’s disabilities took their toll on his family. Providing him with constant loving care, they became exhausted and isolated. Many professionals and well-intentioned friends suggested placing Yossi in an institution. But his mother Malki refused and vowed to God that if He helped Yossi, she would dedicate herself to helping other children with disabilities and their families.

When Yossi was eight, Shoshana Weinstock, a deaf special education teacher penetrated Yossi’s wall of silence via Hebrew fingerspelling. She taught Yossi his first word, thus creating a relationship analogous to that of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller. Malki recalled her promise and with Kalman’s help, Shalva was founded in 1990.

What began as an afternoon programme for eight children in a local apartment has grown into a national centre serving thousands of people with disabilities from infancy to adulthood from the entire spectrum of Israeli society.

Over the course of over thirty years, Shalva has developed transformative programmes to fill needs that were previously neglected. The success of these programmes has received government and cultural recognition, inspiring grassroots changes in public policy and social inclusion.

Flowers For Holocaust Survivors And The Elderly In The Hall. Presented By Band Members | Photo: Shalva

In his address to the audience Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Austria, Ilay Levi Judkovsky thanked the organisation, Christians for Israel in Austria, for their steadfast stand by the country: “In these days, when we are facing enormous challenges from our enemies alongside rising waves of antisemitism in Europe and the world, your support and courage are more important than ever. The members of the Shalva band are our true ambassadors—representing a caring, inclusive Israel that believes that every person deserves respect, community and equality.”

The Chief Rabbi of Vienna, Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer, addressed the upcoming Rosh Hashanah prayers: “On Rosh Hashanah we pray not only for ourselves, but for the entire world to be blessed with peace and blessings. This partnership, and the spirit of peace that places the weak and the disabled at the center of society, is the embodiment of the mutual guarantee and social responsibility that we hope for.”

The Shalva Band
The Shalva Band is comprised of eight talented musicians, of which four are disabled. It performs to the highest musical standards. Inspiring crowds with its musical repertoire and charm, the band is one of Shalva’s most celebrated inclusion programmes. It formed in 2005 as part of Shalva’s music therapy programme. Many members are graduates of Shalva’s rehabilitation programmes, where their musical talents were nurtured. Beyond their musical careers, band members engage in studies, work, and volunteering within the wider community. Today, the Shalva Band enjoys growing popularity in Israel, performing regularly with well-known artists and leading cultural integration efforts. Their performances shatter stereotypes, captivate audiences, and inspire belief in the potential inherent in every individual.

The SHALVA Band With The Chief Cantor Shmuel Barzilai And Marie Louise Weissenböck (left) | Photo: Shalva

The artistic part of the evening in Vienna swept the entire audience to tears as well as dancing. The members of the Shalva band, including the two blind vocalists Dina Samta and Eden Tehrani, performed their greatest hits—from A Million Dreams to Stand by Me and Hallelujah.

The band’s director, Shai Ben-Shushan, shared how the band members accompanied his rehabilitation process, after he was seriously injured in battles in Gaza and Lebanon and returned to fight time and time again.

Another highlight occurred when Vienna’s chief cantor, Shmuel Barzilai, took the stage, and performed Al Kol Ele and Adon Olam with the band in a moving arrangement. After standing ovations the beautiful Jewish prayer Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father our King) was sung as an encore.

Later the song Jerusalem of Gold was dedicated by the Shalva Band to a group of Holocaust survivors who were also present in the hall. They were overjoyed when receiving roses from the band members.

The moving evening concluded with a joint singing of Hatikva (The Hope) by all those present in the hall.