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Striking a chord for Jewish pride

Hilton Nathanson set up the charity Bishnat in his father’s memory to celebrate Judaism’s musical traditions and, in the wake of October 7, to show solidarity with the Jewish state

January 14, 2025 11:28
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In concert Credit: Leor Meheli
3 min read

My dad’s happy place was singing in synagogue,” says Hilton Nathanson. “It was always where he was most content. His favourite thing was seeing a synagogue full of people singing, feeling Jewish.”

After Brian Nathanson passed away, Hilton set up a charity in his father’s memory. Bishnat was named after the first word of parshat Yitro, which was both of their bar mitzvah portion – and their mutual nickname. Hilton started putting on concerts just after Covid to “get people a bit of Jewish pride back and to feel spiritual being in synagogue together” and “to honour what made my father happy”.

Soulful expression: Hilton Nathanson with his late father, Brian[Missing Credit]

There at this first “emotional” concert, Hilton recalls appreciating, for the first time, what it must have felt like for his father. “Seeing everybody in the synagogue, singing and feeling connected and a part of something special, I hadn’t realised it was going to feel like that.”

Bishnat is now renowned in the community for promoting the art of Jewish music. So far, the charity has held four sell-out concerts in London and Leeds to help the audience feel a “renewed sense of pride in their Jewish heritage, and connection to their community and identity”.