LAIBACH: 'Yom Kippur' - new single by Slovenian group commemorates peace agreement to end war in Gaza
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The Slovenian music and multimedia group Laibach continue an ongoing series of single releases with a brand new song entitled ‘Yom Kippur’, which the group have issued in commemoration of the peace agreement to end the war in Gaza. The song is dedicated to all the innocent victims of this conflict, and above all to the tens of thousands of children who have been killed or maimed, as well as to the child victims of all wars.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, dedicated to repentance, remembrance and the possibility of moral and spiritual renewal. It emphasises collective responsibility, reconciliation and the seeking of forgiveness, not only from God, but also from other people and from history itself. It represents a metaphor for the moment when society looks into the mirror of its own sins and denials, when repentance becomes a collective duty, with the aim of understanding guilt and striving for moral and spiritual renewal.
This song is therefore a requiem dedicated to the innocent victims, but also directed toward the perpetrators and all those who have watched from the sidelines and refused to feel complicit. It speaks of forgotten compassion, a silenced conscience and the responsibility the world continues to evade. In it, Yom Kippur is no longer merely a religious ritual, but a reminder that without reconciliation there is no future. Moreover, without acknowledgment of guilt, there can be no peace or redemption.
‘Yom Kippur' follows Laibach’s release of their wry German version of ‘Die Kanone’ (The Cannon), a 50th anniversary reinterpretation of a song by the legendary Bosnian rock band Bijelo Dugme. 2025 has also seen them release ‘Alamut’ (one of The Quietus’ 'Albums of the Year so Far’), as well as several singles from the same series that have included their unique takes on ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ by Foreigner and ‘Strange Fruit’, the song made famous by Billie Holiday.
Watch the lyric video here.
