This exploration is a mere sampling of the myriad complexities of Israeli music. While it includes many different artists and styles, it is certainly not comprehensive. Most of this music is very new and inspiring to me. Researching and discovering it has greatly reinforced my determination to visit this land of miracles.

The first wave of immigration was in 1882 with Jews coming from Eastern Europe and Yemen. Many came from Russia and brought with them the folk tunes and musical style of Russia while creating lyrics in Hebrew. Klezmer music was also brought by the immigrants with lyrics translated into Hebrew or with new Hebrew words. The music of Yemenite Jews was influential in the development of Israeli music because it was seen by early Zionists as a link to their biblical roots. The second wave of immigration began in 1904 and resulted in an increase of original songs by Jewish settlers in Palestine. These immigrants came with a passion for socialism. One of their creations was the kibbutz, the communal village.

From 1919 to 1926 there were a lot of immigrants arriving, many of whom could write songs. Jewish composers began to seek to distinguish their songs from the traditional European music they had been brought up on. People started writing original songs in Hebrew with original melodies. Many songbooks were published and new songs were commissioned to encourage the creation of a new culture celebrating work, the land itself, national consensus, communalism, patriotism, and by 1948, military heroism and the tragedy of war. Hava Nagila is one of the first modern Jewish folk songs in the Hebrew language. In order to encourage the learning of these songs, daily events called public sing-alongs were established. People would gather in a public auditorium or in a communal dining hall to learn the songs, to create a shared community and a shared set of values. It was also a great way for new immigrants to learn Hebrew.

The lyrics of the most famous Hebrew song of all, Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem were written in 1877 by Naftali Herz Imber, who emigrated from Ukraine. The words express the longing of the Jewish people to return to the land of Zion. The melody that was chosen for the poem had been written in Italy in the early 16th century called Ballo di Mantova. Over the centuries many European countries had their own local song set to that melody. In the 19-century it was used by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns in a song called Rhapsodie Bretton. Bedrich Smetana used this melody in his tone poem about the Moldau River in the Czech Republic. The poem was set to this melody by Samuel Cohen, a new immigrant to Palestine from Romania, who based it on the Romanian song Cart with Oxen. (Carul cu boi.)

John Williams created a magnificent version for orchestra.

In the 1930s films and recordings from the West were shunned by the authorities. It was important that Israeli culture be different from the traditional Jewish culture of the diaspora. They wanted to create the new Jew, the Hebrew person, the Israeli to be rooted in the culture of the ancient Jews of the Bible. New songs were often set in the first person plural. We, the people of Israel as a collective.

In a country that has faced major wars and military conflict since it’s inception, army life and wars are common themes in Israeli songs. Most are melancholic, focusing on sacrifice, heroism, separation and loss during war, and the longing for peace.

The earliest of the professional performing groups was the Gevatron from the kibbutz Geva. One of their best-known songs is Our barns are Filled with Grain written for the 1933 festival of Sukkot, which is the harvest holiday.

One of the first early stars was Shoshana Damari. She was born in Yemen. Her most famous song is Kalaniot, Windflower, which is a little red flower with a black circle in the middle of it. It was used as a metaphor for the British soldiers in Palestine who used to wear red caps. They wore the enemy to the Zionist establishment because they were keeping them from achieving their goals so people started referring to the British soldiers as windflowers, meaning that they have a red top and a black heart. They would call them windflowers in the streets. And for a time this song was banned by the British, who felt that this was a dangerous song.

At the end of 1936 the Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman and the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini launched the orchestra now known as the Israel Philharmonic.

The State of Israel was established in 1948 during the War of Independence, in which 6,000 people died, of whom 1/3 were civilians. It is not surprising that many of the first songs written in Israel were about the war. Israel has had a war in each decade: in ’48, ’56, ’67, ’67 to ’70, ’73, ’82 and 2006. And the wars had a huge impact on Israeli society and its music. Israel may be one of the only countries that has this genre of Memorial Day songs, sad songs that were written from the ‘30s until the present day about the wars, and about the individuals who died in the wars. The song Friendship is about friendship during wartime. The Friendship is sung by Shoshana Damari, one of Israel’s most popular singers during the country’s infancy.

During the 1950s there was a huge wave of immigration from the Middle East and North Africa.

And one of the biggest hits in 1957 was The Falafel Song by the 4 Ayalons.

Israel’s military establishment has had a huge influence on its music by promoting music through military performance groups and its army-run radio station. Since the 1950s the Israel Defense Forces have had performing groups called army ensembles comprised of enlisted soldiers who tour bases and field positions to encourage the troops. Many of Israel’s most popular songs were written for these army ensembles. And many of Israel’s star musical artists have come from these army ensembles.

One of the most famous army groups is called the Nahal Entertainment Troupe.

From the 1950s through the 1970s army singing groups had a huge influence on Israeli musical culture. These groups conveyed Hebrew culture and values through songs to the many immigrants. One very optimistic song about tomorrow is called Machar.

Marc Lavry was born in Latvia in 1903. He immigrated to Israel in 1935. “I felt that the country inspired me as a composer and that here I wrote my best compositions.” He became resident composer of the Ohel Theater in Tel Aviv in 1941, and conductor of the Palestine Folk Opera where he composed the first Hebrew-language opera “Dan the Guard”. In 1948 he moved to Jerusalem to undertake the creation of the Kol Zion Lagola radio station. There, he founded the first professional choir in Israel. In 1963, he became the conductor of the Haifa Symphony where he remained until his death in 1967.

Pop and rock came late to Israel. The Beatles were scheduled to perform in Israel and tickets were printed but the Israeli parliament didn’t allow it, fearing the Beatles would be a negative influence on young people. Because foreign performers had to be paid in foreign currency, the government made it impossible to pay the Beatles in foreign currency so their appearance in Israel never took place. Years later the Israeli government apologized to Paul McCartney. Arik Einstein was very well known for singing traditional Israeli music but in the 60s he recorded Mazel, set to the melody of the Beatles’ song Do You Want to Know a Secret.

The authorities wanted to keep composers from becoming too Western in their style so in 1960 the Israeli radio established the Israel Song Festival, a competition to encourage the production of Hebrew songs. The festival was broadcast every year on Independence day from 1960 until 2000, first on the radio, then on TV. In 1967 the Israeli song festival was held three weeks before the Six-Day War. The mayor of Jerusalem asked all the big songwriters if they would write songs about Jerusalem because there was a lot of tension. Naomi Shemer wrote the song Jerusalem of Gold sung by Shuli Natan; it was a huge success. This song preceded the reunification of Jerusalem by three weeks and it became almost like a second national anthem. The album, also called Jerusalem of Gold was the best-selling album in Israel. There wasn’t a home in Israel in 1968 without this record.

The Six-Day War in 1967 marked an important turning point in Israeli culture. The number of art galleries increased by a third, the number of theaters doubled, and a proliferation of restaurants, nightclubs, and discotheques opened. Economic growth went from one percent per year to 13% the year following the war. A lot of music lost its national flavor and became inspired by International styles, although many Israeli musicians continued creating music with a distinct national identity.

The Navy Variety Ensemble recorded Ma Avarech, a song that is about mourning for a friend who died in the Six-Day War. It is played every year on Memorial Day.

In 1969 the Hebrew production of the rock musical Hair opened in Israel and it was an incredible success. This led to the composition of the Song of Peace, Shir LeShalom, Let the Sun Rise, influenced by the song Let the Sun Shine In. It was very controversial because it came out during Israel’s war with Egypt at the border, and commanders at many military bases banned it. Later it became a major peace anthem in Israel. And it was sung by Itzhak Rabin at the rally the night he was assassinated. In fact after he died a bloodied piece of paper with the song’s lyrics on it was found in his pocket.

There is a famous photo from the 60s of the March on the Pentagon during the anti-war movement in the U.S. You can see someone putting a flower in the barrel of a soldier’s gun. Israel’s Artillery band wrote a song about that: Prachim B’Kaneh, Flowers in the Barrel of a Gun. This was a hit song in 1971.

Israeli Rock really took off when musicians who were respected Zionist singers began creating rock n roll songs. They were clean cut with neatly trimmed hair who had served in the army and were exemplary citizens. The first rock album in Israel was entitled Poozy by Arik Einstein in 1969, a collaboration with the first successful rock group in Israel, the Churchhills, thereby inventing Israeli rock, though the lyrics were about patriotic themes and historical events in Israel.

Many Israeli youth wanted to emulate the youth of England and the United States and sing about sex, love and fun. The few radio stations that existed were controlled by the government which considered Western pop and rock n roll to be a dangerous influence on youth, and therefore severely limited their air time on the radio. The group HaSignonot was one of the 1st rock groups in Israel.  Their song Ma Lach Yalda was one of the first real rock songs in Israel.

The first pop-rock band was The High Windows founded by Arik Einstein, Josie Katz and Shmulik Kraus. Arik Einstein is one of the most important Israeli singers of all time. Another song from the Jerusalem of Gold album is Hatishma Koli, Will you hear my voice, written by Rachel HaMeshoreret, Rachel the Poet, and in a way it is connected to Naomi Shemer’s song Jerusalem of Gold because they were both from Kinneret. And they are buried next to one another. You can see Rachel on the 20-shekel bill.

The first superstars of Israeli Rock was a group called Poogy or Kaveret, meaning beehive. They were veterans from the Army troops. A popular song is Yo Ya from 1973.

This group Kaveret, which was composed of ex-military band members and others was the first band to bring electric guitars to the forefront. They also wrote songs that did not have the patriotic flavor that many other Israeli songs had. They wrote their own lyrics. This song Natali La Khayay, I gave Her My Life was the Israeli entry into the Eurovision contest in 1974.

Starting in 1973 Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest and in 1978 Israel won for the first time with Abanibi by Yizhar Cohen.

The following year the contest was in Jerusalem, and Israel won again with the song Hallelujah.

And in the next few years Israel came in 2nd twice. This accelerated the trend towards globalization in Israeli pop. One of these songs was Am Yisrael Chai, The Nation of Israel lives by Ofra Haza in 1983. That year the contest was held in Munich, Germany, and Ofra Haza became a national hero as a result.

In 1977 for the first time Menachem Begin, a right-wing leader was elected. From the 1920s until 1977 the Labor Party, the workers’ party had been in power. The election of Menachem Begin symbolized the rise of other voices in Israeli society. In music these other voices were singers influenced by Arab and Eastern music styles. The song Haperach BeGani, The Flower in My Garden was one of Zohar Argov’s biggest hits. Avihu Medina, the writer and composer of the song is one of those who is responsible for opening up and broadening Israeli music to other genres.

In 1979 the peace treaty with Egypt was signed. And on the radio were tons of songs about peace. Such as David Broza singing It Will Be OK.

In the early ‘80s after the Peace Agreement with Egypt, Naomi Shemer, who was a passionate advocate of community singing in Israel, created Al Kol Ele, singing “Don’t uproot the sapling that has been planted”. This became a massive pop music national anthem.

During the 1980s the major Israeli record labels refused to accept Mizrahi music. A very popular Mizrahi singer was Chaim Moshe who put out an incredibly successful album in 1983 called The Love of My Life. Copies of it were sold on cassette tapes in kiosks at the central bus stations. A big hit from that album was Linda Linda, based on a Lebanese song.

Ofra Haza recorded an album of Yemenite songs and when her song Im Ninalu was remixed and released in Europe it became the biggest-selling Israeli record ever: If the Doors Are Locked.

In the ‘90s a big star was Aviv Geffen who was also very critical of the government. He appeared on stage in drag and heavy makeup, bragged about his evasion of the draft, and sang about drugs, sex and alienation in a hard rock style reminiscent of punk rock. Aviv Geffen’s song To cry Over You was a big hit when Arik Arnstein performed it. It was about the death of a friend in an auto accident, though it was thought of as a song about the deaths of soldiers. Geffen sang it at the rally on the night Itzhak Rabin was assassinated and it became associated with Rabin’s assassination. It is sung on Israel’s annual Memorial Day.

The term Mizrahi music was changed to Music of the Mediterranean. Israeli immigrant communities from Arab countries have created a blended musical style called Muzika Mizrahit that combines Turkish, Greek, Arabic, and Israeli elements. An underground style of popular music by Israelis of Sephardic origin combines eastern and western elements. In 1970 the Israeli radio started the Mizrahi song festival.

One of the biggest stars singers today is Omer Adam, who sings Mizrahi style music which has become the most popular music in Israel today: Mizrahi singing, set in a contemporary style.

Two of the most successful Israeli musicians are violinist Itzhak Perlman and violinist and violist Pincus Zuckerman. Both also took up conducting.

The Israeli government subsidizes education in Israel. In fact the Ministry of Education supports 41 music conservatories throughout the country. The two classical music conservatories the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv teach jazz and popular music, as does the Riman school, and the Hed school in Tel Aviv teaches jazz and pop music.

The Jerusalem Academy of music and dance has an advanced degree program in Arabic music and in 2007 the first pre-college conservatory for the Arab speaking population opened in Shfaram.

The orthodox Jewish community of Israel has developed a unique form of Hasidic rock that combines the sonorities, instrumentation and rhythms of rock music with melodies in a klezmer style, and words taken from religious texts.

Yiddish and Ladino are enjoying a revival in Israel. Language institutes and universities offer programs in these languages. Cuando el Rey is an example of a well-known Ladino song.

In addition to the Israel Philharmonic there is the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra which is supported by the state radio and television, the Rishon LeZion Orchestra, and the Camerata Orchestra. One of the motivations for creating these orchestras was to provide employment for Russian immigrants who could not find jobs. The new Israel Opera Company was founded in 1985. World-renowned musicians in the classical sphere include Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Gil Shaham, Ivry Gitliss, Shalom Mintz, and many others.

Composer Paul Ben-Haim was born in Munich in 1897 and emigrated to Palestine in 1933. He won the Israel Prize for Music in 1957 and died in 1984.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is a youth orchestra consisting of virtuoso musicians from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Spain. It was founded in 1999 by the academic Edward Said and the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and educated in Israel.

A number of new anthologies of Yiddish songs have been compiled. In 2006 there were an estimated 165,000 migrant workers in Israel from the Philippines, Thailand, India, China, Africa, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Each community of migrant workers has its own musical culture.

The Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is a magnificent orchestra comprised of 14-18-year-olds from throughout Israel. What an inspiration they are!

Here’s a short video: https://youtu.be/Fv5Kyvw6Ghk