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'''Yafa Yarkoni''' ({{lang-he|יפה ירקוני}}, also '''Yaffa Yarqoni''', 24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer, winner of the [[Israel Prize]] in 1998 for Hebrew song. She was dubbed Israel's "songstress of the wars" due to her frequent performances for [[Israel Defense Forces]] soldiers, especially in wartime.<ref name="googlebooks1" /> She was from a [[Mountain Jewish]] family.<ref name="googlebooks2" /> She was awarded with the [[Israel Prize]] for the [[Music of Israel]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref>.
'''Yafa Yarkoni''' ({{langx|he|יפה ירקוני}}, also '''Yaffa Yarqoni''', 24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer. She won the [[Israel Prize]] in 1998 for her contributions to Hebrew music.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref> She was dubbed Israel's "songstress of the wars" due to her frequent performances for [[Israel Defense Forces]] soldiers, especially in wartime.<ref name="googlebooks1" /> She was of [[Mountain Jewish]] heritage.<ref name="googlebooks2" />


==Biography==
==Biography==
Yafa Abramov (later Yafa Gustin and Yafa Yarkoni) was born in the south of Tel Aviv to a Jewish family that immigrated from the [[Caucasus]]. At the age of ten, she studied [[ballet]] dancing under [[Gertrude Kraus]], one of Israel's [[Dance in Israel|dance]] pioneers.


=== Early years ===
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Yafa was the middle child in a family of three children, with an older sister, Tikva (born in 1921), and a younger brother, Benjamin (born in 1927). When she was eight years old, her parents divorced, her father left the country for [[Rhodesia]] (where there was a Jewish community) and the family suffered from a difficult financial situation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 1988 |title=About Yafa Yarkoni's childhood |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1988/09/09/01/article/377?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94+%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%22&utm_content=itonut}}</ref>
Yarkoni was born Yafa Abramov in southern [[Tel Aviv]] to a Jewish family that had immigrated from the [[Caucasus]].


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Yarkoni was the middle child in a family of three, with an older sister, Tikva (born in 1921), and a younger brother, Benjamin (born in 1927). When she was eight years old, her parents divorced, and her father relocated to [[Southern Rhodesia]], leaving the family in financial hardship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 9, 1988 |title=About Yafa Yarkoni's childhood |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1988/09/09/01/article/377?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1}}</ref>
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In the 1930s, she moved with her mother and brother to Givat Rambam (now a neighborhood in [[Givatayim]]), where her mother opened a cafe-restaurant called "Tzlil" (translated to "[[sound]]"), which gained popularity, especially among security personnel and artists.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref>


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In the 1930s, she moved with her mother and brother to Givat Rambam, now part of [[Givatayim]], where her mother established a café-restaurant called "Tzlil" ("Sound"), which became popular, particularly among security personnel and artists.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref> She performed alongside her siblings at Tzlil.
In the 1940s, her mother ran a café in Givat Rambam, where Yafa performed with her sister Tikva and her brother Binyamin. On 21 September 1944, she married Joseph Gustin, who fought in [[World War II]] with the [[Jewish Brigade]] and was killed in battle in [[Italy]] in 1945.<ref name="jwa" />


She began her artistic career at a young age, when she performed together with her sister and brother at the family cafe in Givat Rambam. The group they created, "Bamati" (the initials of the names of the four family members)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref> - the singer Tikva, the dancer Yafa and the pianist Binyamin<ref>{{Cite web |title=חדשות בן עזר - 574 |url=https://library.osu.edu/projects/hebrew-lexicon/hbe/hbe00574.php |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=library.osu.edu}}</ref> - He was successful in the Battle of the Cafe visitors, and following the recommendation of the singer and actor Shmuel Fisher, she was accepted to study at [[Gertrud Kraus]]'s classical dance studio, where she also learned to play the piano, and a few years later she was also accepted into Kraus's troupe of dancers, which operated next to the Palestine National Opera.
Yarkoni began her artistic career at a young age. She and her siblings formed a group called Bamati, an acronym derived from the initials of the four family members, that would perform at their mother's restaurant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref> Yarkoni's sister Tikva would sing, her brother Benjamin would play piano, and Yarkoni herself would dance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=חדשות בן עזר - 574 |url=https://library.osu.edu/projects/hebrew-lexicon/hbe/hbe00574.php |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=library.osu.edu}}</ref>


She performed with the troupe for 12 years, until in one of the shows in 1945 she was injured in her leg and had to abandon her dancing career.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 8, 1969 |title=About Yafa Yarkoni - The National Library of Israel |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1969/08/08/01/article/221?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94+%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%22&utm_content=itonut}}</ref>
The group gained popularity among the cafe’s patrons, and following a recommendation from singer and actor Shmuel Fisher, Yarkoni was accepted to study classical dance at [[Gertrud Kraus]]'s studio. There, she also learned to play the piano and later joined Kraus's dance troupe, which was associated with the Palestine National Opera. She performed with the troupe for 12 years until a leg injury during a 1945 performance ended her dancing career.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yaffa Yarkoni |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/yarkoni-yaffa |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Jewish Women's Archive |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 8, 1969 |title=About Yafa Yarkoni - The National Library of Israel |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1969/08/08/01/article/221?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1}}</ref>[[File:Dan Hadani collection (990044341260205171).jpg|thumb|Yarkoni]]In late 1947, Yarkoni enlisted in the [[Haganah]] as a radio operator. During the [[1948 Palestine war|1947-1949 Palestine War]], she served in the [[Givati Brigade]] and began singing with the brigade's entertainment troupe, "Ha-Hishtron." Songs written for the troupe by Toli Reviv and Bobby Panhassi, including "Don't Tell Me Goodbye," "Sharhoret," and "It Only Happened This Time," became associated with Yarkoni. Two songs she performed during this time, "Ha'amini Yom Yavo" and "Bab al-Wad," became symbols of the war. "Ha'amini Yom Yavo," introduced to her by actor Raphael Kalchkin, was first sung for convoy escorts to [[Jerusalem]]. "Bab al-Wad," written by [[Haim Gouri]] in memory of the convoy escorts, gained prominence about a year after the fighting ended.


=== Singing career ===
On September 21, 1944, she married Joseph Gustin<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Gustin memorial page in Izkor website |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A3%20%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%94%20%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9F%20%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9F/en_7d36d39cc90d9cdfe7d044922493a466 |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref>. Gustin (originally Gortin), born in 1918, was a member of the [[Gordonia (youth movement)|Gordonia youth movement]] in his city of [[Lutsk]] (then in [[Poland]], now in [[Ukraine]]), and after training he immigrated to Israel in 1938 and joined the nucleus that founded Kibbutz [[Neve Yam]].
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In 1948, Yarkoni recorded a successful album at the Radio Doctor studio. Among its tracks, the song "Green Eyes,"<ref>{{Cite web |title=עיניים ירוקות |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=1017 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> often considered the first Israeli pop song, gained widespread popularity. She subsequently signed with the newly established record label [[Hed Arzi Music|Hed Artzi]], where she recorded all her albums.
[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Yaffa Yarkoni entertaining troops in one of their camps.jpg|thumb|Yaffa Yarkoni entertaining troops in one of their camps]]
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One of her early albums, ''Bab al-Wad'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - באב אל וואד |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1494 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> comprised songs from the [[1948 Palestine war|1948 Palestine War]], including "Ha'amini Yom Yavo," which she had performed during the war, and tracks like "Gentlemen, History Returns," "Hafinjan," "Han Pasha," "Dudo," and "Zano At." These songs became more closely associated with Yarkoni than with their original performers, the Ha-Hishtron troupe. In 1951, she released a successful album of [[Israeli folk dance]] songs.


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During the 1950s and 1960s, Yarkoni emerged as a leading Israeli singer. Many of her national songs, such as "In the Negev Steppes" (lyrics by Raphael Kalchkin)<ref>{{Cite web |title=בערבות הנגב |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=723 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> and "The Grandmother in the Negev" (lyrics: Avshalom Cohen) and "The Grandmother in the Negev" (lyrics by Avshalom Cohen), were frequently broadcast on [[Kol Yisrael]]'s ''As You Request Hebrew Songs''.
The two got married at the end of a two-year acquaintance, and the day after their marriage he volunteered for service in the British Army (these were the days of World War II) and was enlisted with his friends to the Jewish Brigade. Gustin was killed on March 29, 1945 in the campaign on the Senio River, in the Italian arena<ref name=":1" />.


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She also found success with salon music, including waltz and tango pieces, which were popular for dancing in cafes. Her 1959 album, ''Nirkoda Im Yafa Yarkoni'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - נרקודה עם יפה ירקוני |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1465 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> included hits like "Habibi," "Arzeno HaKtanah," and "Sh'Harhoret."
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The song "Uri", performed by the widow Yafa Gustin, was written in his memory by Raphael Kalchkin and composed by [[Issachar Miron]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=אורי |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=2943 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref>. In 1945, Yarkoni's mother and younger brother also changed their last name to "Gustin", as a tribute to Yafa's fallen husband<ref>{{Cite news |title=בתה של יפה ירקוני על הפרק הסודי בחייה |language=he |work=הארץ |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2008-10-05/ty-article/0000017f-f767-d887-a7ff-ffe75d0f0000 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref>.
[[File:Avi Simchoni. VI.jpg|thumb|Yafa Yarkoni performing in front of soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula]]
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Despite media portrayals of a rivalry with fellow singer [[Shoshana Damari]], Yarkoni and Damari collaborated on several occasions. Yarkoni recorded children's music during the 1950s, including the 1953 album ''Children's Songs as You Request''<ref>{{Cite web |title=שירי ילדים כבקשתך |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/m/record.asp?id=1207 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il}}</ref>, which featured Avshalom Cohen's "A Cart with a Horse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=עגלה עם סוסה |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=3108 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> and Yehiel Mohar's "Dubon Yambo."<ref>{{Cite web |title=דובון יומבו |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=3555 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> Her 1957 album ''Shirim Mi[[Kvutzat Kinneret|Kinneret]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - שירים מכנרת |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1451 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> dedicated to [[Naomi Shemer]]'s children's songs, introduced Shemer's work to a broader audience, with songs such as "The Mail Comes Today" and "Ahinu Little Brother".


Yarkoni also released a record of holiday songs for children. One of Yarkoni's most notable children's songs was "Aba Shlei" ("My father has a ladder..."), written by Thelma Eligon.[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - SINGER YAFFA YARKONI WITH ALUF AVRAHAM ADAN.jpg|thumb|Yafa Yarkoni with Dan Avraham]]
At the end of 1947, Yarkoni enlisted in the [[Haganah]] as a radio operator, and continued to do so during outbreak of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|Independence War]] as part of the [[Givati Brigade]]. She got her first experience as a singer in the "Ha-Hishtron" band of the brigade that was established during the war to which she was joined.
Yarkoni won first place at the 1965 Singer and Chorus Festival with "Ayelet Ha'Hen", and again in 1966 with "Autumn Night." During the 1960s and 1970s, she performed internationally in venues such as [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Lincoln Center]], [[Olympia (Paris)|L'Olympia]], and the [[London Palladium]]. She also spent four years in the United States, recording three albums and performing extensively. In Paris, Yarkoni met [[Boaz Sharabi]] and recorded his song "Pamela" for the first time.


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IIn 1969, Yarkoni performed "When We Were Children" (written by Uri Assaf and composed by [[Moshe Wilensky]]) on a television special for [[Independence Day (Israel)|Yom Ha'atzmaut]], which became one of her signature songs. During the 1970s, she recorded pop songs, including "All the Pigeons" (1971) and "Erev Stav Yaffe" (1976), a duet with [[Svika Pick]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Song - Erev Stav Yaffe - The National Library of Israel |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/items/NNL_MUSIC_AL997009938590805171/NLI |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref> (1976). She performed with Pick in a joint show, which was unsuccessful.
The duo of creators Toli Reviv and Bobby Panhassi wrote for the band [[salon music]] songs that were used as background music for dances and were later identified with Yarkoni, including "Don't tell me goodbye", "Sharhoret" and "It only happened only this time".


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She also participated in the Children's Song Festival thrice during the 1970s, performing the hits "En Den Dino," "I Like to Whistle," and "My Little Sister."
Two songs she sang at that time became the symbols of the difficult war: "Ha'amini Yom Yavo" brought especially for her by the actor Rafael Kalchakin and she sang it for the first time in front of the convoy escorts to [[Jerusalem]], and "Bab al-Wad" written by [[Haim Gouri|Haim Guri]] in memory of the convoy escorts about a year after the end of the fighting.


In 1986, her career was celebrated in the program ''Such a Life''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=May 9, 1986 |title=Singing Monument - Maariv |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1986/05/09/01/article/275?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1}}</ref> Between 1991 and 1992, she appeared with her son-in-law Meir Suisa in the children's TV series ''Hag Sameah with Yafa Yarkoni''. Each episode was broadcast on one of the holidays.In 1994, she took on a supporting role in the film ''The Siren's Song'', based on [[Irit Linur]]'s book. In 1996, she released the duet album ''Singing with Yafa Yarkoni'', featuring collaborations with artists including Shoshana Damari, Aric Einstein, and [[Chava Alberstein]].
In 1948 she remarried to Shaika Yarkoni<ref name="jpost">[http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=251767 Yaffa Yarkoni, Israel's Queen of Song dead at 86]</ref>. Yarkoni, born in Tel Aviv in 1920, the son of Moshe (Shaike) Yarkoni (Shachopak), one of the managers of the Mashbir, was a member of the Haganah (imprisoned by the British for about two years in the detention camp in Beltron) and one of the founders of the [[Hish (Haganah corps)]] (and later one of the "heroes" of the affair which was one of the grounds for the libel suit he filed Amos Ben-Gurion, his friend against the volunteer line organization), and a businessman.


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In 1998, Yarkoni received the [[Israel Prize]] for her contributions to Hebrew music. That same year, a five-volume collection of her songs, ''Yafa Yarkoni: Since Then Until Now, 1948–1998'', was published, including a new piece by Naomi Shemer inspired by Yarkoni's life. She performed as a guest artist at the 1999 Festigal and recorded her final song, "Now It's Been Years (and It's Hard to Remember)," in 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=מלמד |first=אריאנה |date=2012-01-01 |title=פרידה מיפה ירקוני: סופה של אלגנטיות |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4169777,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> A triple collection of 62 hits was released that year.
The two were parents of three daughters<ref name="latimes.com">[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-me-yaffa-yarkoni-20120102,0,4139099.story Yaffa Yarkoni dies at 86; Israeli singer]</ref>. Sheika Yarkoni died on August 29, 1983.


Throughout her career, Yarkoni collaborated extensively with songwriters Tuli Reviv and [[Haim Hefer]].<ref name="googlebooks4" />
=== Success as a Singer ===
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As [[Israel]] was established, still during the lull in the battles of the War of Independence, Yarkoni recorded a record at the "Radio Doctor" studio that was a great success. In particular, the hit "Green Eyes"<ref>{{Cite web |title=עיניים ירוקות |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=1017 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref>, which is considered the first [[Pop music|pop]] song in Israel, became famous. After that, Yarkoni was signed to the record label [[Hed Arzi Music|Hed Artzi]], which had just been established, and began recording all her albums there.


=== Final years and death ===
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She recorded the album "Bab al-Wad"<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - באב אל וואד |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1494 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> which was composed of the songs of the War of Independence, including "Ha'amini Yom Yavo" which she performed during the war as well as "Gentlemen, history returns", "Hafinjan", "Han Pasha", "Dudo" and "Zano At" who became more identified with her than with the Cheesetron, the original performers of the songs. In 1951 she recorded a successful album composed of [[folk dance]] songs.
In 2000, Yarkoni was diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-11-22 |title=יפה ירקוני נאבקת במחלת האלצהיימר |url=https://www.mako.co.il/music-news/local/Article-13b775617a81521006.htm |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=mako}}</ref> In December 2006, a large tribute evening was organized for Yarkoni at the [[Heichal HaTarbut]], featuring performances by numerous artists. In 2007, she made her final television appearance on a program produced in her honor by the [[Israel Broadcasting Authority]].


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Yarkoni died on January 1, 2012,<ref>{{Cite news |last=גלובס |first=שירות |date=2012-01-01 |title=הזמרת יפה ירקוני הלכה לעולמה היום בגיל 86 |work=Globes |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000711537 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref><ref name="deathHaaaretz">{{cite news |date=1 January 2012 |title=Legendary Israeli singer Yafa Yarkoni dies at 86 |work=[[Haaretz]] |url=http://www.haaretz.com/culture/legendary-israeli-singer-yafa-yarkoni-dies-at-86-1.404925}}</ref> at the age of 86 in Reut Medical Center in Tel Aviv. She was buried next to her husband Sheika in the [[Kiryat Shaul Cemetery]].
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In the 1950s and 1960s she became a leading singer in Israel, and her songs - especially the national songs she recorded in 1948: "In the Negev Steppes" (lyrics: Raphael Kalchkin)<ref>{{Cite web |title=בערבות הנגב |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=723 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> and "The Grandmother in the Negev" (lyrics: Avshalom Cohen) - were played many times on the program "As You Request Hebrew Songs" In [[Kol Yisrael]].


== Personal life ==
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Her main success among the audience (and less among the radio editors) was in the salon music songs she recorded, the waltz and tango songs, which were also used as background music for dancing in the cafes at that time. In 1959, she released the album "Nirkoda Im Yafa Yarkoni"<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - נרקודה עם יפה ירקוני |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1465 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref>, which collected many lounge songs that were identified with her, including "Habibi", "Arzeno HaKatanonat" and "Sh'Harhoret".


=== Politics ===
The media used to attribute her rivalry with the singer [[Shoshana Damari]], who was also very popular at the time, although this is not true and the two even collaborated several times.
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Yarkoni was frequently performed for soldiers during Israel's wars and in peacetime. Her willingness to perform at the front lines of battles earned her the nickname "Singer of the Wars,"<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 1978 |title=מאת ארצי ישראלי - "אני לא זמרת המלחמות" |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1978/10/12/01/article/212?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=דרעי |first=דוד |date=2008-05-05 |title="אני לא זמרת מלחמות" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3539625,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15 |work=Ynet |language=he}}</ref> a title she reportedly disliked, preferring instead to be called "The Soldiers' Singer."


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Yarkoni was also outspoken about her political views, which were often associated with the Zionist left. In 2002, during [[Operation Defensive Shield]], she made comments on [[Israeli Army Radio]]'s ''What's Burning'' program criticizing the marking of numbers on the arms of [[Palestinians]] by IDF soldiers. She stated, "We are a people that went through the Holocaust, how are we able to do such things?" These remarks were widely interpreted by the media as a comparison between the actions of the IDF and the [[identification of inmates in Nazi concentration camps]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=יפה ירקוני: "אין לנו מנהיג" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-1834810,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=ynet |language=he}}</ref>
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In the 1950s she recorded a number of children's albums, two of which were particularly successful: the album "Children's Songs as You Request"<ref>{{Cite web |title=שירי ילדים כבקשתך |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/m/record.asp?id=1207 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il}}</ref> from 1953, which included the children's song written by Avshalom Cohen "A Cart with a Horse"<ref>{{Cite web |title=עגלה עם סוסה |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=3108 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref>, which was recorded back in 1948, and "Dubon Yambo" ( Also: Yumbo), written by Yehiel Mohar,<ref>{{Cite web |title=דובון יומבו |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=3555 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> and the album "Shirim MiKinneret"<ref>{{Cite web |last=ומונו |first=סטריאו |title=סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - שירים מכנרת |url=https://stereo-ve-mono.com/1451 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> from 1957, which was dedicated to the children's songs written by [[Naomi Shemer]] in the [[Kvutzat Kinneret]] and exposed Shemer to the general public, with songs such as "The Mail Comes Today" and "Ahinu Little Brother". She also released a record of holiday songs for children and recorded other songs that became hits for children, including "Aba Shlei" ("My father has a ladder..."), written by Thelma Eligon.


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Yarkoni later claimed that she was not equating the two, but her statement triggered a media controversy, with some right-wing groups calling for a boycott. She received threats and hate mail, and an event in her honor organized by the Israel Artists Union was initially canceled.<ref>{{Cite news |title="זמרת המלחמות" נגד המלחמה |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2005-05-03/ty-article/0000017f-e2eb-df7c-a5ff-e2fb8c400000 |access-date=2023-12-15 |work=הארץ |language=he}}</ref> After the controversy subsided, the Union of Israeli Artists later held an event in her honor.
At the 1965 Singer and Chorus Festival, she won first place with the song "Ayelet Ha'Hen", which was also performed by [[Arik Einstein|Aric Einstein]] at the festival, with lyrics by Oded Betzer, music by Natan Shahar and arrangement by Yitzhak Graziani. A year later, at the 1966 Singer and Chorus Festival, she won again with the song "Autumn Night", which Aric Einstein also performed at the festival, with lyrics by Chaya Cohen, a melody by Haim Tzur and an arrangement by Shimon Cohen.


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=== Family ===
In the 1960s and 1970s, Yarkoni also performed in renowned halls and clubs in the world, mainly in the [[United States]], [[London]] and [[Paris]]. She has performed at [[Carnegie Hall]] and [[Lincoln Center]] in [[New York City|New York]], [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia]] in Paris, Palladium in London as well as in [[Japan]], [[Australia]] and [[Russia]]. During the sixties she even spent four years in the United States, recorded three records there and performed many shows. In Paris she met [[Boaz Sharabi]] who was performing there at the same time and recorded his song "Pamela" for the first time.
Yarkoni married Joseph Gustin on September 21, 1944. The day after their wedding, Gustin volunteered for the British Army during, serving in the [[Jewish Brigade]] during [[World War II]]. He was killed on March 29, 1945, during the campaign on the Senio River in Italy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Gustin memorial page in Izkor website |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A3%20%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%94%20%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9F%20%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9F/en_7d36d39cc90d9cdfe7d044922493a466 |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref><ref name="jwa" />


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The song "Uri," written by Raphael Kalchkin and composed by [[Issachar Miron]], was performed by Yarkoni in memory of her deceased husband.<ref>{{Cite web |title=אורי |url=https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=2943 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.zemereshet.co.il |language=he}}</ref> In 1945, Yarkoni's mother and younger brother also adopted the surname "Gustin" as a tribute to her late husband.<ref>{{Cite news |title=בתה של יפה ירקוני על הפרק הסודי בחייה |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2008-10-05/ty-article/0000017f-f767-d887-a7ff-ffe75d0f0000 |access-date=2023-12-15 |work=הארץ |language=he}}</ref>
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In a television special on Independence Day in 1969, Yarkoni performed the song "When We Were Children" (written by Uri Assaf and composed by [[Moshe Wilensky]]) which became one of the songs that was most identified with her. During the seventies she recorded a number of pop songs, including the hit "All the Pigeons" (1971) and a duet with [[Svika Pick]] called "Erev Stav Yaffe"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Song - Erev Stav Yaffe - The National Library of Israel |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/items/NNL_MUSIC_AL997009938590805171/NLI |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref> (1976). With Pick she even performed in a joint show, which was not particularly successful.


In 1948, Yarkoni married Shaika Yarkoni, originally from Tel Aviv.<ref name="jpost">[http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=251767 Yaffa Yarkoni, Israel's Queen of Song dead at 86]</ref> Shaika was also a member of the Haganah and later became a businessman. The couple had three daughters: Orit (1950), Tamar (1953) and Ruth (1956) and eight grandchildren, including [[Michael Swissa]].<ref name="latimes.com">[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-me-yaffa-yarkoni-20120102,0,4139099.story Yaffa Yarkoni dies at 86; Israeli singer]</ref> Shaika Yarkoni died August 29, 1983. Their eldest daughter, Orit Shohat, is a former [[Haaretz]] journalist. Shaika Yarkoni died August 29, 1983.
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Three more children's hits were performed by her as part of the Children's Song Festival in the 1970s: "En Den Dino", "I like to whistle" and "My Little Sister".


⚫
Yarkoni had three brothers. Her sister, Tikva Handel, recorded several songs in 1947, accompanied by [[Nahum Nardi]] and [[Shmuel Fershko]]. Handel later relocated to [[Caracas]], where she established a Jewish school. She eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in New York.<ref>{{Cite web |title=חדשות בן עזר - 574 |url=https://library.osu.edu/projects/hebrew-lexicon/hbe/hbe00574.php |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=library.osu.edu}}</ref>
In [[1986]], the program "Such a Life" was dedicated to her<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=May 9, 1986 |title=Singing Monument - Maariv |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1986/05/09/01/article/275?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94+%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%22&utm_content=itonut}}</ref>.


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== Recognition and commemoration ==
In the years 1991-1992, together with her son-in-law Meir Suisa, she participated in the children's TV series of the First Channel "Hag Sameah with Faya Yarkoni", each episode of which was broadcast on one of the holidays.


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** '''1989''': Awarded the Union of Israeli Artists award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 16, 1969 |title=The big night of AMI in Noga |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1989/03/16/01/article/110?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1}}</ref>
In 1994, she played a secondary role for the first time in the movie "The Siren's Song", based on the book by [[Irit Linur]].
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** '''1998''': Received the Israel Prize for Hebrew Song.<ref name="prize" />
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** Honored as "The City's Dear" of Tel Aviv.
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In May 2014, a memorial plaque was installed at the entrance to her former home at 23 Dov Hoz Street in Tel Aviv. Streets were named after her in the cities of [[Holon]], [[Afula]], [[Kiryat Bialik]], [[Kiryat Motzkin]], [[Rosh HaAyin]] and [[Rishon LeZion]]. In Givatayim, a square at the intersection of Remez and Rambam streets was named after her.<ref>{{Cite web |title=הקמת כיכר ע"ש יפה ירקוני צומת רחובות רמ"ז – רמב"מ • החברה הכלכלית גבעתיים |url=http://www.yaadg.co.il/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%91%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A2_%D7%9C%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%AA_2020/%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%A8_%D7%A2%D7%A9_%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94_%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%95%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%96_%E2%80%93_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%9E |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.yaadg.co.il}}</ref>[[File:Memorial plaque to the singer Yaffa Yarkoni in Tel Aviv.JPG|thumb|Memorial plaque to Yarkoni in Tel Aviv]]In 2018, an exhibition dedicated to Yarkoni was held at the Hava gallery in Holon.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-05 |title="בסוף ישכחו מי זאת יפה ירקוני" |url=https://www.yediot.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5341892,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=ynet |language=he}}</ref> The exhibition included items from her life, such as diaries, album covers, photographs, dresses, jewelry, and other fashion accessories.


Her archives are preserved in the music department of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yafa Yarkoni Archive |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/archives/NNL_MUSIC_AL990033653270205171/NLI |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref>
In 1996, she released the duets album "Singing with Yafa Yarkoni" in which the best artists performed her songs in a duet with her, including Shoshana Damari, Aric Einstein and [[Chava Alberstein]].


In 2021, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality inaugurated a new inclusive elementary school in the northern part of the city, named in her honor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-24 |title=עיריית תל אביב-יפו תחנוך בתי ספר על שם שושנה דמארי ויפה ירקוני |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/Education/Article-861271 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.maariv.co.il}}</ref>
Yarkoni won the [[Israel Prize]] award in the 50'th year for the State of Israel, [[1998]]. In the same year, a five-volume collection of her poems was also published called "Yafa Yarkoni since then until now, 1948-1998". The collection also included a new song called "Dancer", written by Naomi Shemer based on Yarkoni's life story, with references to her being a dancer at the beginning of her career, her performances in the War of Independence, her songs "about the war and peace" up to the present day.

In [[1999]] she participated in Festigal as a guest artist.

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In the summer of [[2000]] she recorded her last song, "Now it's been years (and it's hard to remember)"<ref>{{Cite news |last=מלמד |first=אריאנה |date=2012-01-01 |title=פרידה מיפה ירקוני: סופה של אלגנטיות |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4169777,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref>. In the same year, a triple collection was released with 62 hits.

Most of Yarkoni's songs were written by [[Tuli Reviv]] and [[Haim Hefer]].<ref name="googlebooks4" /> Yarkoni also performed some of [[Naomi Shemer]]'s early children's songs.

=== Public Action, Political Views, and Personal Life ===
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Yarkoni was known to be involved in the state's matters. She performed hundreds of performances in front of the soldiers in Israel's wars and between the wars, she did not shy away from appearing right at the front of the battles and thus earned the nickname "Singer of the Wars", even though she did not like it<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 1978 |title=מאת ארצי ישראלי - "אני לא זמרת המלחמות" |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1978/10/12/01/article/212?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94+%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%22&utm_content=itonut}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=דרעי |first=דוד |date=2008-05-05 |title="אני לא זמרת מלחמות" |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3539625,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref> and preferred to be called "The Soldiers' Singer".

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She used to be involved in politics as well, and often voiced her political views identified with the Zionist left. In 2002, during [[Operation Defensive Shield]], Yarkoni spoke out on the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]]'s "What's Burning" [[Army Radio]] against soldiers who marked numbers on the arms of [[Palestinians]], "We are a people that went through the Holocaust, how are we able to do such things?" she said. These words of hers were interpreted in the media As a comparison between the actions of the IDF in the territories and the actions of the [[Nazism|Nazis]] in the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=יפה ירקוני: "אין לנו מנהיג" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-1834810,00.html |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=ynet |language=he}}</ref>

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According to her, she did not make such a comparison but only tried to protest a specific act. This statement caused a media storm with right-wing people calling for a boycott.<ref>{{Cite news |title="זמרת המלחמות" נגד המלחמה |language=he |work=הארץ |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2005-05-03/ty-article/0000017f-e2eb-df7c-a5ff-e2fb8c400000 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref>

Many threats and hateful letters were sent to her and even an event in her honor that was produced by the Israel Artists Union was cancelled. After a while, when the storm subsided, the Union of Israeli Artists produced an evening in her honor and in December 2006 a large salute evening was held for Yarkoni at the [[Heichal HaTarbut]] with the participation of many artists.

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In 2000 Yarkoni was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-11-22 |title=יפה ירקוני נאבקת במחלת האלצהיימר |url=https://www.mako.co.il/music-news/local/Article-13b775617a81521006.htm |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=mako}}</ref>, and in 2008 her condition worsened. She died on January 1, 2012<ref>{{Cite news |last=גלובס |first=שירות |date=2012-01-01 |title=הזמרת יפה ירקוני הלכה לעולמה היום בגיל 86 |work=Globes |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000711537 |access-date=2023-12-15}}</ref><ref name="deathHaaaretz">{{cite news |date=1 January 2012 |title=Legendary Israeli singer Yafa Yarkoni dies at 86 |work=[[Haaretz]] |url=http://www.haaretz.com/culture/legendary-israeli-singer-yafa-yarkoni-dies-at-86-1.404925}}</ref>, at the age of 86 in Reut Medical Center in Tel Aviv. She was buried next to her husband Sheika in the [[Kiryat Shaul Cemetery|Kiryat Shaul cemetery]]. In 2007 she appeared for the last time on a television show produced in her honor by the [[Israel Broadcasting Authority]].

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== Family ==
Yarkoni was the mother of three daughters: Orit (1950), Tamar (1953) and Ruth (1956), grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of eight. Her eldest daughter, Orit Shohat, is a former journalist at [[Haaretz]] (married to Yigal Shohat, a doctor, a former pilot who was captured by the Egyptians during the [[War of Attrition]] and the chief medical officer of the [[Israeli Air Force|Air Force]]). Her youngest daughter, Ruti Yarkoni-Suisa, was married to actor Meir Swissa (their joint children are music producer Yishai Suisa and rapper [[Michael Swissa]]).

⚫
Yarkoni has two brothers as well as a half brother. Her two brothers worked as musicians. Her sister, Tikva Handel, recorded some songs in 1947, accompanied by [[Nahum Nardi]] and [[Shmuel Fershko]]. She later moved to [[Caracas]], the capital of [[Venezuela]], where she founded a Jewish school. Later she immigrated to the United States and settled in New York<ref>{{Cite web |title=חדשות בן עזר - 574 |url=https://library.osu.edu/projects/hebrew-lexicon/hbe/hbe00574.php |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=library.osu.edu}}</ref>.

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== Recognition and Commemoration ==

⚫
* 1989 - Union of Israeli Artists award <ref>{{Cite web |date=March 16, 1969 |title=The big night of AMI in Noga |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1989/03/16/01/article/110?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1&utm_source=he.wikipedia.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=%22%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94+%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%22&utm_content=itonut}}</ref>
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* 1998 - [[Israel Prize]] for Hebrew song <ref name="prize" />
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* The City's Dear of Tel Aviv
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In May 2014, a memorial plaque was placed at the entrance to her home at 23 Dov Hoz Street in Tel Aviv. Streets were named after her in the cities of [[Holon]], [[Afula]], [[Kiryat Bialik]], [[Kiryat Motzkin]], [[Rosh HaAyin]] and [[Rishon LeZion]]. The city of Givatayim named after Yarkoni a square at the intersection of Remez and Rambam streets<ref>{{Cite web |title=הקמת כיכר ע"ש יפה ירקוני צומת רחובות רמ"ז – רמב"מ • החברה הכלכלית גבעתיים |url=http://www.yaadg.co.il/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%91%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A2_%D7%9C%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%AA_2020/%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%A8_%D7%A2%D7%A9_%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94_%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%95%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%96_%E2%80%93_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%9E |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=www.yaadg.co.il}}</ref>.


==See also==
==See also==

Latest revision as of 22:10, 10 December 2024

Yafa Yarkoni
Background information
Birth nameYafa Abramov
Also known asThe "Songstress of the Wars"
Born(1925-12-24)24 December 1925
Giv'at Rambam, British Mandate for Palestine
Died1 January 2012(2012-01-01) (aged 86)
Reut Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
OccupationSinger

Yafa Yarkoni (Hebrew: יפה ירקוני, also Yaffa Yarqoni, 24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer. She won the Israel Prize in 1998 for her contributions to Hebrew music.[1] She was dubbed Israel's "songstress of the wars" due to her frequent performances for Israel Defense Forces soldiers, especially in wartime.[2] She was of Mountain Jewish heritage.[3]

Biography

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Yarkoni was born Yafa Abramov in southern Tel Aviv to a Jewish family that had immigrated from the Caucasus.

Yarkoni was the middle child in a family of three, with an older sister, Tikva (born in 1921), and a younger brother, Benjamin (born in 1927). When she was eight years old, her parents divorced, and her father relocated to Southern Rhodesia, leaving the family in financial hardship.[4]

In the 1930s, she moved with her mother and brother to Givat Rambam, now part of Givatayim, where her mother established a café-restaurant called "Tzlil" ("Sound"), which became popular, particularly among security personnel and artists.[5] She performed alongside her siblings at Tzlil.

Yarkoni began her artistic career at a young age. She and her siblings formed a group called Bamati, an acronym derived from the initials of the four family members, that would perform at their mother's restaurant.[6] Yarkoni's sister Tikva would sing, her brother Benjamin would play piano, and Yarkoni herself would dance.[7]

The group gained popularity among the cafe’s patrons, and following a recommendation from singer and actor Shmuel Fisher, Yarkoni was accepted to study classical dance at Gertrud Kraus's studio. There, she also learned to play the piano and later joined Kraus's dance troupe, which was associated with the Palestine National Opera. She performed with the troupe for 12 years until a leg injury during a 1945 performance ended her dancing career.[8][9]

Yarkoni

In late 1947, Yarkoni enlisted in the Haganah as a radio operator. During the 1947-1949 Palestine War, she served in the Givati Brigade and began singing with the brigade's entertainment troupe, "Ha-Hishtron." Songs written for the troupe by Toli Reviv and Bobby Panhassi, including "Don't Tell Me Goodbye," "Sharhoret," and "It Only Happened This Time," became associated with Yarkoni. Two songs she performed during this time, "Ha'amini Yom Yavo" and "Bab al-Wad," became symbols of the war. "Ha'amini Yom Yavo," introduced to her by actor Raphael Kalchkin, was first sung for convoy escorts to Jerusalem. "Bab al-Wad," written by Haim Gouri in memory of the convoy escorts, gained prominence about a year after the fighting ended.

Singing career

[edit]

In 1948, Yarkoni recorded a successful album at the Radio Doctor studio. Among its tracks, the song "Green Eyes,"[10] often considered the first Israeli pop song, gained widespread popularity. She subsequently signed with the newly established record label Hed Artzi, where she recorded all her albums.

Yaffa Yarkoni entertaining troops in one of their camps

One of her early albums, Bab al-Wad,[11] comprised songs from the 1948 Palestine War, including "Ha'amini Yom Yavo," which she had performed during the war, and tracks like "Gentlemen, History Returns," "Hafinjan," "Han Pasha," "Dudo," and "Zano At." These songs became more closely associated with Yarkoni than with their original performers, the Ha-Hishtron troupe. In 1951, she released a successful album of Israeli folk dance songs.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Yarkoni emerged as a leading Israeli singer. Many of her national songs, such as "In the Negev Steppes" (lyrics by Raphael Kalchkin)[12] and "The Grandmother in the Negev" (lyrics: Avshalom Cohen) and "The Grandmother in the Negev" (lyrics by Avshalom Cohen), were frequently broadcast on Kol Yisrael's As You Request Hebrew Songs.

She also found success with salon music, including waltz and tango pieces, which were popular for dancing in cafes. Her 1959 album, Nirkoda Im Yafa Yarkoni,[13] included hits like "Habibi," "Arzeno HaKtanah," and "Sh'Harhoret."

Yafa Yarkoni performing in front of soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula

Despite media portrayals of a rivalry with fellow singer Shoshana Damari, Yarkoni and Damari collaborated on several occasions. Yarkoni recorded children's music during the 1950s, including the 1953 album Children's Songs as You Request[14], which featured Avshalom Cohen's "A Cart with a Horse"[15] and Yehiel Mohar's "Dubon Yambo."[16] Her 1957 album Shirim MiKinneret,[17] dedicated to Naomi Shemer's children's songs, introduced Shemer's work to a broader audience, with songs such as "The Mail Comes Today" and "Ahinu Little Brother".

Yarkoni also released a record of holiday songs for children. One of Yarkoni's most notable children's songs was "Aba Shlei" ("My father has a ladder..."), written by Thelma Eligon.

Yafa Yarkoni with Dan Avraham

Yarkoni won first place at the 1965 Singer and Chorus Festival with "Ayelet Ha'Hen", and again in 1966 with "Autumn Night." During the 1960s and 1970s, she performed internationally in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, L'Olympia, and the London Palladium. She also spent four years in the United States, recording three albums and performing extensively. In Paris, Yarkoni met Boaz Sharabi and recorded his song "Pamela" for the first time.

IIn 1969, Yarkoni performed "When We Were Children" (written by Uri Assaf and composed by Moshe Wilensky) on a television special for Yom Ha'atzmaut, which became one of her signature songs. During the 1970s, she recorded pop songs, including "All the Pigeons" (1971) and "Erev Stav Yaffe" (1976), a duet with Svika Pick.[18] (1976). She performed with Pick in a joint show, which was unsuccessful.

She also participated in the Children's Song Festival thrice during the 1970s, performing the hits "En Den Dino," "I Like to Whistle," and "My Little Sister."

In 1986, her career was celebrated in the program Such a Life.[19] Between 1991 and 1992, she appeared with her son-in-law Meir Suisa in the children's TV series Hag Sameah with Yafa Yarkoni. Each episode was broadcast on one of the holidays.In 1994, she took on a supporting role in the film The Siren's Song, based on Irit Linur's book. In 1996, she released the duet album Singing with Yafa Yarkoni, featuring collaborations with artists including Shoshana Damari, Aric Einstein, and Chava Alberstein.

In 1998, Yarkoni received the Israel Prize for her contributions to Hebrew music. That same year, a five-volume collection of her songs, Yafa Yarkoni: Since Then Until Now, 1948–1998, was published, including a new piece by Naomi Shemer inspired by Yarkoni's life. She performed as a guest artist at the 1999 Festigal and recorded her final song, "Now It's Been Years (and It's Hard to Remember)," in 2000.[20] A triple collection of 62 hits was released that year.

Throughout her career, Yarkoni collaborated extensively with songwriters Tuli Reviv and Haim Hefer.[21]

Final years and death

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In 2000, Yarkoni was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[22] In December 2006, a large tribute evening was organized for Yarkoni at the Heichal HaTarbut, featuring performances by numerous artists. In 2007, she made her final television appearance on a program produced in her honor by the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Yarkoni died on January 1, 2012,[23][24] at the age of 86 in Reut Medical Center in Tel Aviv. She was buried next to her husband Sheika in the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery.

Personal life

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Politics

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Yarkoni was frequently performed for soldiers during Israel's wars and in peacetime. Her willingness to perform at the front lines of battles earned her the nickname "Singer of the Wars,"[25][19][26] a title she reportedly disliked, preferring instead to be called "The Soldiers' Singer."

Yarkoni was also outspoken about her political views, which were often associated with the Zionist left. In 2002, during Operation Defensive Shield, she made comments on Israeli Army Radio's What's Burning program criticizing the marking of numbers on the arms of Palestinians by IDF soldiers. She stated, "We are a people that went through the Holocaust, how are we able to do such things?" These remarks were widely interpreted by the media as a comparison between the actions of the IDF and the identification of inmates in Nazi concentration camps.[27]

Yarkoni later claimed that she was not equating the two, but her statement triggered a media controversy, with some right-wing groups calling for a boycott. She received threats and hate mail, and an event in her honor organized by the Israel Artists Union was initially canceled.[28] After the controversy subsided, the Union of Israeli Artists later held an event in her honor.

Family

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Yarkoni married Joseph Gustin on September 21, 1944. The day after their wedding, Gustin volunteered for the British Army during, serving in the Jewish Brigade during World War II. He was killed on March 29, 1945, during the campaign on the Senio River in Italy.[29][30]

The song "Uri," written by Raphael Kalchkin and composed by Issachar Miron, was performed by Yarkoni in memory of her deceased husband.[31] In 1945, Yarkoni's mother and younger brother also adopted the surname "Gustin" as a tribute to her late husband.[32]

In 1948, Yarkoni married Shaika Yarkoni, originally from Tel Aviv.[33] Shaika was also a member of the Haganah and later became a businessman. The couple had three daughters: Orit (1950), Tamar (1953) and Ruth (1956) and eight grandchildren, including Michael Swissa.[34] Shaika Yarkoni died August 29, 1983. Their eldest daughter, Orit Shohat, is a former Haaretz journalist. Shaika Yarkoni died August 29, 1983.

Yarkoni had three brothers. Her sister, Tikva Handel, recorded several songs in 1947, accompanied by Nahum Nardi and Shmuel Fershko. Handel later relocated to Caracas, where she established a Jewish school. She eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in New York.[35]

Recognition and commemoration

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    • 1989: Awarded the Union of Israeli Artists award.[36]
    • 1998: Received the Israel Prize for Hebrew Song.[37]
    • Honored as "The City's Dear" of Tel Aviv.

In May 2014, a memorial plaque was installed at the entrance to her former home at 23 Dov Hoz Street in Tel Aviv. Streets were named after her in the cities of Holon, Afula, Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Motzkin, Rosh HaAyin and Rishon LeZion. In Givatayim, a square at the intersection of Remez and Rambam streets was named after her.[38]

Memorial plaque to Yarkoni in Tel Aviv

In 2018, an exhibition dedicated to Yarkoni was held at the Hava gallery in Holon.[39] The exhibition included items from her life, such as diaries, album covers, photographs, dresses, jewelry, and other fashion accessories.

Her archives are preserved in the music department of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.[40]

In 2021, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality inaugurated a new inclusive elementary school in the northern part of the city, named in her honor.[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Yaffa Yarkoni". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  2. ^ Korpe, Marie (25 May 2010). Shoot the singer!: music censorship ... Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781842775042.
  3. ^ Helet, Mira (14 July 1989). HOME COUNTRY COOKING. Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "About Yafa Yarkoni's childhood". 9 September 1988.
  5. ^ "Yaffa Yarkoni". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Yaffa Yarkoni". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  7. ^ "חדשות בן עזר - 574". library.osu.edu. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Yaffa Yarkoni". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  9. ^ "About Yafa Yarkoni - The National Library of Israel". 8 August 1969.
  10. ^ "עיניים ירוקות". www.zemereshet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ^ ומונו, סטריאו. "סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - באב אל וואד". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  12. ^ "בערבות הנגב". www.zemereshet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  13. ^ ומונו, סטריאו. "סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - נרקודה עם יפה ירקוני". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  14. ^ "שירי ילדים כבקשתך". www.zemereshet.co.il. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  15. ^ "עגלה עם סוסה". www.zemereshet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  16. ^ "דובון יומבו". www.zemereshet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  17. ^ ומונו, סטריאו. "סטריאו ומונו, אתר הדיסקוגרפיה של המוסיקה הישראלית - שירים מכנרת". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Song - Erev Stav Yaffe - The National Library of Israel". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Singing Monument - Maariv". 9 May 1986.
  20. ^ מלמד, אריאנה (1 January 2012). "פרידה מיפה ירקוני: סופה של אלגנטיות". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  21. ^ Motti, Regev; Regev, Motti; Seroussi, Edwin (26 April 2004). Popular music and national culture ... University of California Press. ISBN 9780520236547.
  22. ^ "יפה ירקוני נאבקת במחלת האלצהיימר". mako. 22 November 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  23. ^ גלובס, שירות (1 January 2012). "הזמרת יפה ירקוני הלכה לעולמה היום בגיל 86". Globes. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Legendary Israeli singer Yafa Yarkoni dies at 86". Haaretz. 1 January 2012.
  25. ^ "מאת ארצי ישראלי - "אני לא זמרת המלחמות"". 12 October 1978.
  26. ^ דרעי, דוד (5 May 2008). ""אני לא זמרת מלחמות"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  27. ^ "יפה ירקוני: "אין לנו מנהיג"". ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  28. ^ ""זמרת המלחמות" נגד המלחמה". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Joseph Gustin memorial page in Izkor website". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Yaffa Yarkoni". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  31. ^ "אורי". www.zemereshet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  32. ^ "בתה של יפה ירקוני על הפרק הסודי בחייה". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  33. ^ Yaffa Yarkoni, Israel's Queen of Song dead at 86
  34. ^ Yaffa Yarkoni dies at 86; Israeli singer
  35. ^ "חדשות בן עזר - 574". library.osu.edu. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  36. ^ "The big night of AMI in Noga". 16 March 1969.
  37. ^ "Israel Prize Official site – Recipients in 1998 (in Hebrew)".
  38. ^ "הקמת כיכר ע"ש יפה ירקוני צומת רחובות רמ"ז – רמב"מ • החברה הכלכלית גבעתיים". www.yaadg.co.il. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  39. ^ ""בסוף ישכחו מי זאת יפה ירקוני"". ynet (in Hebrew). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  40. ^ "Yafa Yarkoni Archive". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  41. ^ "עיריית תל אביב-יפו תחנוך בתי ספר על שם שושנה דמארי ויפה ירקוני". www.maariv.co.il. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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