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About the Project

B'Shir Yaron is a project dedicated to prayer melodies and the Jewish liturgical year, created to inspire prayer leaders, cantors, and those who love prayer and Jewish music.

The project brings together musical ideas and melody suggestions for prayers, piyutim, and various liturgical passages throughout the Jewish year, with the goal of helping prayer leaders prepare their services and create a meaningful connection between the words, the liturgy, and the melody.

We believe that melody has a unique power to shape the prayer experience. The right melody, at the right moment and within the right community, can open hearts, elevate the atmosphere of the synagogue, and transform an ordinary prayer service into a meaningful and inspiring experience.

At the same time, every community is unique. Each synagogue has its own character, traditions, and beloved melodies. With this understanding in mind, the project was created not merely as a collection of recordings, but as a source of inspiration and ideas aimed at helping build prayer experiences that are vibrant, engaging, and uplifting.

How the Project Began

B'Shir Yaron grew out of a genuine need among cantors and prayer leaders seeking ideas for incorporating melodies into prayer. Alongside familiar tunes, the project also presents new ideas and adaptations developed specifically for various prayer texts, with careful attention to the meaning of the words, the character of the prayer, and the connection it creates within the congregation.

Yaron loved music, loved prayer, and loved singing with others. For those who knew him, the connection between prayer, melody, joy, and community was an inseparable part of who he was. The connection between this project and Yaron's memory therefore felt natural, and the project was dedicated to his memory as a way of continuing and sharing those same values.

B'Shir Yaron was established in memory of Captain Yaron Chitiz z"l, Deputy Company Commander of the Shaked Battalion in the Givati Brigade, who fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

Yaron was a person of joy, connection, and love for others. Those who knew him speak of his ever-present smile, his generous heart, his deep love for family, friends, and life itself, and his remarkable ability to make everyone around him feel welcome, valued, and loved.

Music, singing, and prayer melodies were an inseparable part of his world.

In the middle of a Shabbat meal, Yaron suddenly tapped on the table and said:

"There's no way they're singing more Shabbat songs in Gaza than we are here!"

It turned out that even during the war, whenever they were not engaged in operational activity, Yaron and his soldiers made an effort to fill their Shabbat meals with singing, words of Torah, and a sense of togetherness. The food may not always have been exceptional, but there was never a shortage of Shabbat songs.

After Yaron made that remark, his brother Doron recalls, the entire family began singing enthusiastically and joyfully, going through nearly every Shabbat song they knew.

It was Yaron's final Shabbat.

This project emerged from that spirit, from a desire to continue sharing through prayer and melody the sense of connection, joy, and generosity that Yaron brought wherever he went.

The purple color incorporated into the project's visual identity reflects both Yaron's memory and his service in the Givati Brigade.

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A video about Yaron

YouTube Channel – "Remembering Yaron"

The People Behind the Project

Ezra Meyer is a Chazzan and Ba'al Tefillah with more than twenty years of experience in Israel and around the world. He studied and served under the late Cantor Naftali Herstik and Dr. Mordechai Sobol, has led services in numerous synagogues and Jewish communities internationally, and has also taught cantorial music and mentored Ba'alei Tefillah.

Over the years, Ezra has devoted considerable thought to matching melodies with the prayers they accompany, with careful attention to the traditional nusach, the meaning of the words, and the unique character of each congregation. His musical approach combines traditional melodies, classical cantorial music, and a constant search for a natural connection between the text, the nusach, and the melody.

The project's musical accompaniment is provided by Doron Chitiz, Yaron's brother, adding a personal and family dimension of remembrance, continuity, and connection through prayer and music.

Born in Johannesburg, Doron is a pianist, guitarist, choir conductor, educator, and lecturer. He was a founding member of the a cappella group Kippa Live and has conducted choirs and musical events in Israel and abroad. Today, he teaches and lectures on the intersection of music, Yaron's legacy, Torah, and prayer, and serves as a wedding officiant through the Tzohar organization.