Shoshana Damari ( he, שושנה דמארי; March 31, 1923 – February 14, 2006) was a Yemeni-

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

singer known as the "Queen of Hebrew Music."

Biography

PikiWiki Israel 8676 Moshe Wilensky Cyprus Live Shoshana Damari

Shoshana Damari was born in

Dhamar, Yemen Dhamar ( ar, ذَمَار, Ḏamār; Old South Arabian: 𐩹𐩣𐩧 ''Ḏmr'') is a city in south-western Yemen. It is located at , at an elevation of around . Overview Dhamar is situated to the south of Sana'a, north of Ibb, and west of ...

. Her family immigrated to

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

in 1924 and settled in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ...

.Encyclopedia of Jewish Women: Shoshana Damari
/ref> From a young age Damari played drums and sang accompaniment for her mother, who performed at family celebrations and gatherings of the Yemenite community in Israel. At age 14, her first songs were broadcast on the radio. She studied singing and acting at the Shulamit Studio in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, where she met Shlomo Bosmi, the studio manager who became her personal manager. They wed in 1939 and had a daughter, Nava. Damari died in Tel Aviv after a brief bout of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. She died whilst ''Kalaniyot'' was sung by her family and friends who had been sitting in vigil during her final few days. She was buried in the

Trumpeldor Cemetery Trumpeldor Cemetery ( he, בית הקברות טרומפלדור), often referred to as the "Old Cemetery," is a historic cemetery on Trumpeldor Street in Tel Aviv, Israel. The cemetery covers 10.6 acres, and contains approximately 5,000 graves. ...

in Tel Aviv.

Music career

PikiWiki Israel 1019 Shoshana Damari tomb קברה של שושנה דמארי

In 1945, Damari joined Li-La-Lo, a revue theater established by impresario Moshe Wallin. The group performed light entertainment and satire as a counterweight to the serious theater of the time. Damari became known for her distinctive husky voice and Yemenite pronunciation. Her first record was released in 1948 and her best-known song '' Kalaniyot'' (Anemones), by Moshe Wilensky, dates from that period. She was especially popular among Israeli soldiers, for whom she frequently performed. After the independence of Israel and throughout the late 1970s, Damari performed all over the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, France, England, South Africa, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Canada, Scandinavia and Japan. She was warmly received by the audience at national and international festivals in Israel and abroad, serving as Israel's unofficial cultural ambassador and earning the title of “First lady of Israeli song.”Shoshana Damari

Jewish Women's Archive The Jewish Women's Archive (JWA) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to document "Jewish women's stories, elevate their voices, and inspire them to be agents of change." JWA was founded by Gail Twersky Reimer in 1995 in Brookli ...

In the mid-1980s, Damari teamed up with

Boaz Sharabi Boaz Sharabi ( he, בעז שרעבי; born 28 May 1947) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, composer and lyricist, known for Israeli classics as ''Latet'', ''Halevai'', ''At Li Laila'', ''Pamela'', ''Lashir Itach'', ''Kol Od'', ''Mi Yada Shekach Yi ...

for a duet that brought her back into the limelight. In 2005, she recorded two tracks for the ''Mimaamakim'' album by Idan Raichel's Project and participated in some of their live performances. The two had been slated to begin another joint project.

Awards and recognition

In 1988, Damari was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

for Hebrew song. and an ACUM lifetime achievement award in 1995. On March 31, 2013,

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

celebrated her 90th birthday with a

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Film career

*''

Hill 24 Doesn't Answer ''Hill 24 Doesn't Answer'' ('' he, גבעה 24 אינה עונה; ''), the first feature film produced in Israel, is a 1955 Israeli war film directed by Thorold Dickinson. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. The plot revolves arou ...

'' *''Be'Ein Moledet'' *''Hatikvah''

References

External links

''Jerusalem Post'' "Renowned singer and cultural icon Shoshana Damari dies" February 14, 2006

*
Recordings of Shoshana Damari
on The House of Hebrew Songs,

National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; he, הספרייה הלאומית, translit=HaSifria HaLeumit; ar, المكتبة الوطنية في إسرائيل), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; he, בית הספרים הלא� ...