The chilling interview of Orna Datz: "The scariest thing in the world happened"
After the difficult loss she experienced, the star opens her heart and talks about the daily struggle, the conscious decision not to sink into darkness, and the presence she feels every time she steps on stage.
Singer and actress Orna Datz was interviewed for Itai Segal's podcast, "All In." In an open and exposed conversation, she spoke about the years that have passed since the death of her son, the singer Omer Datz (of blessed memory), about the choice of life, and about the way she continues to create alongside the difficult loss.
When asked how she is doing, Datz shared the difficult feelings that accompanied her following the disaster:
"If you had asked me two years and four months ago how I am, I would have told you that here, the end of the world has arrived. And that is what the end of the world looks like, and that is what darkness, cold, and fear look like."
She explained that it is a long process of learning to live with the void that has opened up, of searching for meaning anew, and of finding the reason "to get up in the morning, to smile, and to make people happy."
Before her eyes stood the image of her mother, who had lost her son in the past and did not recover from the grief. "I said, I don't want to be my mother, because I saw where it led her. I saw it with my own eyes, like a candle that you see is fading," said Datz, emphasizing that alongside character, it is a conscious choice of life. The return to routine was very slow, as for a whole year she avoided performing and listening to music: "I would drive in my car for hours in silence. I cannot listen to music, music is Omer."
Regarding her struggle with the deep pain, she said:
"The pain exists, it is alive, it is an organ in my body. It was born when Omer died."
She added that the realization of the biggest nightmare changed her worldview: "The moment this fear was realized, and it happened, nothing scares me anymore. What can happen? The scariest thing in the world happened."
Datz also referred to the song "There is no love in the world" ("Ein ba-olam ahava"), which was originally written as a gift for Omer's brit milah, and noted that today she shares his story in her performances: "Many times when I am on stage I feel his presence, and that is what he wants. He would be very proud of me." His memory is also commemorated today at the Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio, where he studied, through an annual scholarship and a rehearsal room named after him.
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Datz signed off with a touching message: "May there be quiet here, and may there be fewer bereaved mothers. May there be routine, and may parents have more time with their children."
