Neat Info About
Israeli Music

These are some interesting pieces of information about Israeli music that would be good to share at the beginning of chapter meetings or programs- an easy way to bring Israel to your chapter! Of course it would be even better if you could play the music too- if you want a good Israeli mix CD (including many of the following songs), contact us and we would be happy to provide you with one!

• In 1978, the Israeli song ABANIBI by Izhar Cohen was the first Israeli song to win the prestigious Eurovision song contest!
• On the day Jerusalem was freed and recaptured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War, Naomi Shemer wrote the last verse of her song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) and sang it to the soldiers.
• A group called the Sheba Choir, along with Israeli Shlomo Gronich, is made up of Ethiopian born children who live in Israel - the group travels the world and sings about their memories of Africa and living in Israel as immigrants.
• The song "Ron Arad" was written by Boaz Sharabi in honor of the Israeli lieutenant Colonel named Ron Arad who was captured on a mission by an Iranian terrorist group in 1986 and has been since missing.
• The new popular Israeli pop song "Yalla Bye" is by Ariel Horovitz, Naomi Shemer's son!
• The song "Lu Yehi", written by Naomi Shemer in 1973 as a reaction to the Yom Kippur War, started out as an adaptation of the Beatles song "Let it Be"!
• Popular Israeli music has been heavily influenced by other cultures because of immigration, including Morocco, Persia, and Yemen!