Stone to stone
for mezzo-soprano and piano

Composed on the occasion of the memorial events for the Tanais Ship of 1944, Crete.
Preformed by Reut Ventorero and Hagia Yodan. 
Chania, Crete, Aug. 2024.
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The piece "Stone to Stone" draws inspiration from the ancient Jewish custom of placing a stone on a grave.
There are several theories as to the origin of this custom. One theory focuses on the practical aspect,
where the stones were intended to secure the grave when there was no headstone. Other theories emphasize
the symbolic meaning, representing continuity and perpetuity. The stone, unlike the flower that withers,
will exist for generations, as if saying to the deceased: "You did not wither when you died; you are eternal
like the stone." This reminds us that the soul is eternal and that humans' influence on the world is everlasting.
The stone symbolizes continuity: the word is the initials of the Hebrew word for "stone" ("even"):
mother, daughter, granddaughter, or father, son, grandson. Placing the stone on the grave signifies that
the buried person has continuity and that someone stands at their grave and remembers them.
The victims of the Tanais have no grave and no stone, but their memory will remain forever.
This work is placing a symbolic stone on their non-existent grave.

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