On October 15, 2026, a festive concert dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence will take place in Netanya. Opera singer Konstantin Rittel-Kobyliansky, honored artist of Ukraine Dmitry Gershenzon, accordionist Ilya Zhornitsky, Lada Isarova, Mikhail Khaldey, pianist Ella Pasik, and the vocal ensemble “Slavutych” led by Alla Herman will take the stage.
Author: Lev Varshavsky, NANews
The concert is organized by the Society of Ukrainian Immigrants in Netanya with the participation of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel. It starts at 19:30, the venue is the “Beit Yochanan” hall on Raziel Street, 4.
Ukraine celebrated 35 years of independence on August 24. But for Ukrainians living in Israel, the celebration is not limited to one date. Especially now, when many families are divided by war, and trips home have long ceased to be taken for granted.
The October concert in Netanya has an interesting lineup. It will feature voices of artists known from the Ukrainian stage and musicians whose creative lives have been connected with Israel for many years.
Konstantin Rittel-Kobyliansky: from Kyiv and Odessa to European opera stages
The main name on the poster is Konstantin Rittel-Kobyliansky. He was born on November 7, 1975, in Kyiv, into a family of actors Alexander Rittel and Svetlana Kobylianska. His father is Jewish, and his mother is related to the family of Ukrainian writer Olga Kobylianska.
Konstantin received his musical education in Odessa, then continued his studies in Germany, in Freiburg. Among his mentors was the famous German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Rittel-Kobyliansky is a cavalier baritone. For a listener unfamiliar with opera terminology, this designation refers to a special type of baritone voice characterized by flexibility, expressiveness, and the ability to perform both lyrical and dramatic roles.
During his career, the singer performed Escamillo in Bizet’s “Carmen,” Tonio in Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci,” and appeared on European and American stages. Among his awards are the European Cultural Foundation Prize at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Ukrainian recognition in the “Person of the Year” program.
But his performance in Netanya has another side.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the singer participated in charitable musical projects related to helping Ukrainians. In Israel, he is well known for concerts organized by pianist Ella Pasik.
In December 2025, they came together to the studio of the Israeli project Sheinkin40. They talked about creativity, war, helping people, working on stage, and their attitude towards Israel. In that interview, “Hatikvah” — the national anthem of Israel — was also performed.
For a person whose family combines Ukrainian and Jewish histories, such a coexistence of two countries in life has long become personal.
Ella Pasik: a pianist from Kherson who continued her musical life in Israel
Ella Pasik will accompany on the piano. But it would be unfair to present her solely as an accompanist.
She is from Kherson. Before repatriation, she worked at the philharmonic in Ukraine, and after moving to Israel, she engaged in concert activities, music education, and organizing performances. She interned at the New York Metropolitan Opera, collaborated with vocal teachers, and participated in conducting romance performer competitions.
Her biography also includes a family story. Ella’s father, Semyon Neishtadt, taught history, sang in Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Russian, and created a Jewish musical ensemble in Ukraine. After repatriation, he continued to engage in music.
In an interview with Israeli Culture in October 2023, Pasik talked about how difficult it was to endure the news of the occupation of her native Kherson. Then she decided to organize concerts in support of Ukraine in Israel. Among the participants were Konstantin Rittel-Kobyliansky, Dudu Fisher, Gil Shohat, and other famous musicians.
She has a long-standing collaboration with Rittel-Kobyliansky. They will come to the concert in Netanya as an already established creative duo.
Dmitry Gershenzon: “Svityaz,” Ukrainian songs, and radio in Israel
Another well-known participant in the concert is Dmitry Gershenzon, an honored artist of Ukraine.
He was born on March 9, 1956, in Balta, Odessa region, received a musical education, and for many years performed with the ensemble, and later the duo “Svityaz.” The collective is well remembered by Ukrainian listeners of several generations. Among the famous songs is “Ni, ya ne tu kokhav,” which gained new life thanks to a joint recording with the group “Tartak.”
In 2013, Gershenzon moved to Israel. Here he continued to perform, compose, and engage in Ukrainian music.
He has another job that not all Israelis know about. On “First Radio 89.1 FM,” there is a Ukrainian-language program “Fafa-Lyala,” dedicated to Ukrainian songs, performers, and musical history.
NANews previously reported on this unusual program for Israeli radio.
At the concert in Netanya, Gershenzon will be among people with whom he shares not only the stage. These are musicians for whom Ukrainian culture remained part of everyday life after moving to Israel.
Ilya Zhornitsky: accordion from classics to klezmer
The program features accordionist Ilya Zhornitsky, a laureate of international competitions.
The Israeli audience could hear him in the programs of the “Symphonette Ra’anana” orchestra. In particular, on April 2, 2025, Zhornitsky participated in the concert “Invitation to Dance” in Netanya together with cellist Grigory Yanovsky. Conducted by David Zeba.
The musician also performed in jazz and chamber projects, including klezmer music programs. Klezmer is an instrumental tradition of Eastern European Jews, especially closely connected with the history of Jewish communities in Ukraine, Poland, and neighboring countries.
For such a performer, the accordion is not limited to accompanying folk songs. This instrument is equally appropriate in dance classics, chamber music, and melodies that once played at Jewish weddings in Ukrainian shtetls.
Lada Isarova and Mikhail Khaldey: familiar names in Israeli concert life
Lada Isarova is well known to participants of cultural events in Netanya.
In 2023, she was one of the hosts of the Ukrainian culture festival “Vyshyvanka Fest,” held with the support of the city’s municipality. Together with her, the program was led by Nati Geil and Katerina Trushin. The festival featured Ukrainian composer Anatoly Serdyuk.
Isarova also appeared on other city stages. In November 2024, her name was among the participants of the festive evening for Aliyah Day, organized in Netanya.
Aliyah Day is an Israeli holiday dedicated to repatriation, that is, the return of Jews to Israel. For a city with a large community of immigrants from the former USSR, such concerts have long been part of local cultural life.
Another participant is Mikhail Khaldey, listed on the poster as Misha Khaldey.
He works with a diverse vocal repertoire. In February 2025, he performed at the Tel Aviv club Desire at an evening of Ukrainian music, where works from the repertoire of “Okean Elzy,” The Hardkiss, “Boombox,” KAZKA, 5’nizza, and other popular Ukrainian bands were performed.
In December of the same year, Khaldey participated in a concert in Haifa together with Slava Shmukler and pianist Sergey Susid. And on October 13, 2026, just two days before the evening in Netanya, his performance is announced in Ramat Gan in the program “From Opera to Romance” with Israeli Opera singer Nika Brook.
Thus, the participants of the upcoming concert represent quite different musical directions — from opera art and classical romances to Ukrainian pop music.
Ensemble “Slavutych”: Ukrainian songs on the Israeli stage
The vocal ensemble “Slavutych” led by Alla Herman will also participate in the festive program.
The collective performs in Ukrainian national costumes, preserving the tradition of ensemble singing. It can be seen not only at events dedicated to Ukraine. For example, in 2026, “Slavutych” was announced among the participants of the festive program of the Kiryat Gat municipality for Victory Day.
The name of the ensemble has Ukrainian origins: Slavutych is an ancient poetic name for the Dnieper, the river on whose banks Kyiv stands. For Ukrainian cultural tradition, this is one of the recognizable images of the native land.
At the current concert, the collective will perform alongside professional soloists and instrumentalists. The exact list of performed works has not yet been published by the organizers.
Why this concert is important for Ukrainians in Israel
Netanya is one of the Israeli cities where many immigrants from Ukraine live. Here, Ukrainian speech can be heard not only at special events. People meet in city institutions, schools, shops, on the promenade. Some arrived decades ago, others found themselves in Israel after the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.
These people do not always have the same views, language habits, and life experiences. But Ukrainian songs often remain something they recognize without explanations.
That’s why I think it’s important who takes the stage in Netanya on October 15. Among the participants are musicians who formed in Ukraine and managed to continue their careers in Israel. Some preserved Ukrainian music on the radio, some brought opera classics to Israeli stages, and some continue to sing in an ensemble.
For NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, such events are of special interest. The connections between Ukraine and Israel exist not only at the level of governments, diplomatic statements, and news headlines. They are preserved in families, in shared memories, and in the music that continues to be performed on both sides of the Mediterranean.
35 years ago, Ukraine restored its state independence. Today, it has to defend its right to independently determine its future once again. And in Israel, people whose lives are connected with this country continue to gather together — including for the sake of songs familiar from childhood.
Where and when the concert in Netanya will take place
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Start: 19:30.
Venue: “Beit Yochanan” hall, Raziel Street, 4, Netanya.
Organizer: Society of Ukrainian Immigrants in Netanya with the participation of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel.
Ticket booking: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DAcHanGxh/
Box office of the Palace of Culture (Heichal HaTarbut)
Ticket prices, availability of free seats, and concert duration are not specified on the poster. It is better to clarify this information directly by contacting the organizers.
Only a few days remain until the meeting. For those who want to hear Ukrainian music live and spend an evening among people who feel close to Ukraine and Israel, this is a good reason to come to Netanya.
More at – sTDe | NAnews — event poster of Israel.