Ahuva Ozeri ( he, אהובה עוזרי; March 3, 1948 – December 13, 2016) was an Israeli singer, songwriter and composer. She released 20 albums over her four-decade career. According to ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

'', she was "a pioneer of Israeli music".

Early life

Ahuva Ozeri was born and grew up 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 ...

's Yemenite Quarter to a Jewish family. Her father died when she was four years old; she had seven siblings.

Career

Ozeri started her career as a singer in Israel in the 1960s. Additionally, she was a songwriter and composer. She played the Bulbul tarang, an Indian musical instrument she learned from the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

. She released her first album, ''Where is the Soldier?'', in 1975. The songs were about the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Eg ...

. She went on to release 19 more albums in the next four decades. Despite losing her vocal chords to cancer, she continued to release new music, including six new albums. She released the 2008 hit song ''Sticker Song'' with

Hadag Nahash Hadag Nahash ( he, הדג נחש ', ) is an Israeli hip hop/ funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem. The band is known for its leftist political statements in many of its songs. Some of the band's songs have been used in protests. Name and ...

. Five years later, in 2013, she released her last album, ''Maalei Demama'' (''Out of Silence'') in 2013, in which she wrote and composed songs interpreted by such artists as

Berry Sakharof Berry Sakharof ( he, ברי סחרוף, ; born 7 July 1957) is an Israeli rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. Sakharof is one of Israel's most popular and critically acclaimed rock musicians, and is often referred to as "the prince ...

, Ehud Banai, and Chava Alberstein. Ozeri was the recipient of an award from the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel (ACUM) in 2008. She was "a founding mother of Mizrahi music" according to

Arutz Sheva ''Arutz Sheva'' ( he, ערוץ 7, lit=''Channel 7''), also known in English as ''Israel National News'', is an Israeli media network identifying with religious Zionism. It offers online news articles in Hebrew, English, and Russian as well a ...

and "a pioneer of Israeli music" according to ''

''. Uri Barbash, an Israeli filmmaker, did a documentary about her.

Personal life and death

Ozeri was first diagnosed with

laryngeal cancer Laryngeal cancers are mostly squamous-cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the epithelium of the larynx. Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of stagin ...

in 2000, when she had surgery. In 2002, she underwent another surgery to remove a tumour. She died of cancer on December 13, 2016 at the

Sheba Medical Center Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer ( he, המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), also Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel, located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan at Tel HaSho ...

in Ramat Gan, Israel, aged 68. Upon her death, Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

called her "a pillar of Mediterranean music in Israel." Additionally,

Miri Regev Miriam "Miri" Regev ( he, מִרְיָם "מִירִי" רֶגֶב; born Miriam Siboni on 26 May 1965) is an Israeli politician and a former brigadier-general in the Israel Defense Forces, in which she served as IDF Spokeswoman. She currently ...

, Israel's Culture and Sports Minister, tweeted, "the crown of a renewed Israeli culture fell today. Ahuva (meaning "beloved" in Hebrew), rest in peace. I assure you, your voice will not be silenced forever." Yuli Edelstein, the Speaker of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

, called her "a unique figure who blended East and West in an amazing way in her melodies and her lyrics", adding "Her dedication to her work despite the challenges is an inspiration. May her memory be for a blessing.”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozeri, Ahuva 1948 births 2016 deaths Israeli people of Yemeni-Jewish descent Musicians from Tel Aviv 20th-century Mizrahi Jews 21st-century Mizrahi Jews Jewish Israeli musicians Israeli women singer-songwriters Israeli women composers Deaths from laryngeal cancer Deaths from cancer in Israel Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery 20th-century Israeli women singers 21st-century Israeli women singers