Israel Portnoy came into the studio and did what he always does—made it feel personal.

This session has that rare kind of energy you only get when the music is happening in the room for real: everyone listening, responding, leaving space, then landing together exactly where it needs to land. It’s dynamic without trying to be. Quiet when it should be. Huge when it wants to be.

Israel’s voice sits right in the center—clear, emotional, and completely present—and the sound around him lifts the songs without ever crowding them. You can hear the air, the push and pull, the little decisions that happen in the moment. That’s the whole point of a live session.

No gimmicks. No acting. Just an honest performance—captured as it happened.

00:00 Intro

00:23 Don’t Hide From Me

06:07 Lemaan Achai

12:47 Gypsy Niggun

16:38 Sheyibane

21:22 Anim Zemirot

26:41 Eliyahu

32:04 Hup Cossak!

37:54 My House

Drums: Jamale Hopkins

Bass: Mitch Friedman

Guitar: Nachman Dryer

Saxophone: Avrumi Bosch

Piano/Musical Director: Mendy Portnoy

Executive Producer: Mendy Portnoy

Director/Producer/Editor: Binyamin Babayof

Director of Photography: James Kolsby

Assistant Camera: Josiah Anderson

Mixing by Tzvi Levine