Miriam Israeli (born 1966), also known as Miri Israeli, is an American-born lyricist and singer of

contemporary Jewish religious music For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 ( Israel's Six-Day War) to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “relig ...

. Her biggest hits are "''Ima Tagidi Li''" ("Mother, Tell Me"), "''Yesh Tikvah''" ("There Is Hope") (co-written with Ari GoldwagMassery, Sarah. "Women to Know: Miriam Israeli". '' Ami'', January 14, 2015, pp. 14-15.), and "''Tikvah LeYeled''" ("Hope for the Child"). She performs internationally for women-only audiences.

Biography

She was born and raised in Borough Park,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, where she graduated from

Bais Yaakov Bais Yaakov ( he, בית יעקב also Beis Yaakov, Beit Yaakov, Beth Jacob or Beys Yankev; lit., House fJacob) is a genericized name for full-time Haredi Jewish elementary and secondary schools for Jewish girls throughout the world. Bais Yaa ...

Academy High School. After her marriage, she

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

to Israel and began composing songs for the Song Nights held at the Beth Jacob Jerusalem seminary. It was for one of these events that she composed "''Ima Tagidi Li''" ("Mother, Tell Me"), which became internationally popular in Jewish girls schools and camps. She also started an after-school choir for English-speaking high school girls. She released her first album of songs in 1999; however, her songs on this and a subsequent album were recorded by male vocalists per the directive of her Rav. Her songs have been recorded by Benny Friedman, Yaakov Shwekey, Ari Goldwag, and others. She performs her own songs in concert tours for women- and girl-only audiences in the United States, England, and Israel. She is also a freelance writer and author of a serialized diary, "Music Maker", for ''

Mishpacha ''Mishpacha'' ( he, משפחה, : Family) - Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew. History The Mishpacha Publishing Group was founded in 1984 with the publication ...

'' magazine.

Personal life

Miriam and her husband have 11 children; they reside in the Romema neighborhood of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Discography

* ''A New Experience in Song'' (1999) * ''Amen'' (2010)

References

External links

"''HaKotel''" (The Western Wall)
Music and lyrics by Miriam Israeli
"''Ima Tagidi Li''"

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...

of Stony Brook video {{DEFAULTSORT:Israeli, Miriam American Orthodox Jews American lyricists Israeli lyricists Jewish American songwriters American expatriates in Israel 1966 births Living people Orthodox Jewish women musicians 21st-century American Jews