Since they were kids, brothers Yotam and Tuval Haim, who grew up on Kibbutz Gvulot in the South, used music as a healing medium and a common language that strengthened their bond.
On October 7, Yotam was scheduled to perform with his band at the Sychworld Metal Festival in Tel Aviv. He had his red Chevrolet packed with all his music gear and ready to go. But on that fateful morning, instead of performing, Hamas terrorists kidnapped him from his home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza during their massacre and rampage in the South.
During his captivity, Yotam, 22, was held by Hamas in a tunnel for 42 days. On December 10, 2023, he escaped, along with fellow hostages Alon Shamriz and Samer Talalka. The three survived for five days in Shejaia – one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip – living off canned tomatoes.
On December 15, they recognized IDF soldiers nearby and, seeking protection, came out of hiding, waving white flags, shirtless, and speaking Hebrew. But instead of finding refuge, they were mistaken for terrorists, shot, and killed.
After losing Yotam, Tuval sought solace in music and became determined to fulfill their dream to make an album together.
Honoring Yotam Haim's legacy
He began writing songs and working on an album to turn his loss into Yotam’s legacy and his silence into their final songs. Achim (Brothers) is a nine-song project that communicates messages of growth, pain, and maintaining hope in the face of hardship.
“It’s not meant to focus on the tragedy, but to focus on [Yotam’s] heroism,” Tuval told The Jerusalem Post last week, ahead of the live debut of the album taking place on September 29 at the Barby club in Tel Aviv. The show will integrate videos of Yotam playing the drums, providing the brothers with another chance to perform together.
Yotam’s story is “a message for other people. [A reminder] that you can overcome your challenges,” said Tuval, adding that the bond between him and his younger brother was always strong.
Tuval, 33, always protected his little brother, the troublemaker. Fistfights in school and reprimands by the teacher were Yotam’s favorite pastime. So, big brother Tuval assumed the role of “bodyguard.” But beyond the schoolyard, music was always an important aspect of their relationship.
From the age of five, Tuval would go play drums on Shabbat morning with his father, also a drummer.
To him, “drumming [became] a sanctuary.” And eventually, Yotam followed in his brother’s footsteps, picking up the drums too. For both brothers, music became their saving grace.
For Yotam, who struggled with depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder, it gave him purpose. Early in life, Yotam was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease and underwent major abdominal surgery. The surgery resulted in the development of other mental health challenges later in Yotam’s life.
Although he struggled, Yotam was known for his dry and sarcastic sense of humor, his loyalty, and his brains.
Eventually, his drumming led him to connect with fellow musicians and create his band, Persephore. That journey ended on October 7.
In the months after Yotam’s death, Tuval refused to play any music because it felt like a betrayal of his brother. He had lost his favorite bandmate, his biggest inspiration. He spent all day at home, battling with grief.
It was only after radio DJ Guy Davidov convinced him to play drums for a show that Tuval realized that “this is where [he] belongs – on the stage and playing music.” It was this same show where he decided to turn his grief and heartache into music and create an album for himself and for Yotam.
ACHIM is infused with Tuval’s pain, grief, and healing process. Tuval says that the listener “goes through a journey with [him].”
His commitment and talent are evident in the album.
Tuval funded the project himself, raising and spending more than $30,000. From supporting producers to paying for studio space, the album was created completely on his own initiative.
He stresses the invaluable impact that the various featured artists had on the album. Acclaimed artists, Barry Saharov, Ester Rada, along with Persephone (Yotam’s band), and other contributors played a huge role in making the album happen. Tuval felt that working with these artists was “like a dream” and made the project that much more meaningful.
Even in captivity, Yotam used music to survive. A Thai hostage who was together with Yotam for a while before being released told Tuval that his brother found some plastic boxes to use as drums, broke the hard parts of a window shade to use as sticks, and played his own makeshift drum set. Tuval holds this as a testament to Yotam’s strength, as evidence that “he didn’t [lose] himself there.”
For Tuval, the album and the show this month are about “taking Yotam’s story and putting it in the light.” It’s about defining his story through his courage rather than his suffering.
In fact, a lot of the album has Yotam’s own music woven throughout. Yotam’s voice is the one heard on the third verse of the second song on the album “Tiger.” Tuval found a recording of Yotam’s voice and incorporated it into the song through generative AI.
The seventh song on the track features Yotam’s drumming, which was found on a friend’s recording. Tuval says that the integration of Yotam’s music demonstrates how this album is not his – it’s theirs. He highlights Yotem’s presence in the album, saying “You [can] feel him in the album… like he’s above everything there.”
There are even times when he felt like it was really Yotam that wrote the lyrics. Tuval feels that, especially in “Dancing in the Sky, “[Yotam’s] lyrics went through [him].”
Tuval has big hopes for the album, using Yotam’s sound as a way to unite people around the world, and he plans to travel and spread Yotam’s message and story through music.
Tuval lost his brother, his best friend, his forever bandmate. His life’s song is missing a critical note. And yet, he stays positive. When asked what gives him hope, he tells the story behind his song “Most People. “
He and his boyfriend, Tom, had traveled to Montenegro for a getaway. When they passed a coffee shop, Tom turned to Tuval and said, “I’m jealous of them; they don’t need to suffer all their life because of what happened.”
At first, Tuval listened, but then said, “I’m not jealous. Because most people come to this planet and live their life, without leaving a mark, without a historic story. Of course, I would love to give up this story and have Yotam with me.
“But I told [Tom], what happened to us; it happened, we cannot change that. And [now] Yotam is part of the history of Israel, of the Jewish people… and I’m choosing to be proud of my story instead of being jealous of other people. [Because] I know how proud he was of himself.”
Tuval, Yotam’s personal bodyguard, continues to protect his little brother, even “beyond this dimension.” He created something that will honor Yotam and his memory forever. Tuval’s music ensures that Yotam’s story will “unite people in pain” because, in Tuval’s words, “there’s something about [the album] that’s beyond words.”