David Simon Berwick Broza (; born September 4, 1955) is an Israeli singer-songwriter. His music mixes modern pop with Spanish music.

Biography

David Broza was born in

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. It is home to t ...

. His father was an Israeli–British businessman of German-Dutch Jewish descent. He grew up in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, attending Runnymede College, in Madrid. Broza's grandfather, Wellesley Aron, co-founded the Arab-Israeli peace settlement Neve Shalom – Wāħat as-Salām (''The Oasis of Peace''), Jewish Music Group (archived webpage) and the Habonim youth movement. Young David Broza originally planned to become a

graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

, and by age 17 he was selling his paintings in the Rastro, Madrid's Sunday

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

. Following high school, and while serving in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

, he began playing guitar in cafes to earn extra money. Eventually he was offered a record deal, but as he still hoped to attend the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

, he declined. He later recorded a tape to promote his live shows. Broza was married to Ruthie Gabison Broza for 30 years, and together they have three children, Moran, Ramon and Adam. He lived in

Cresskill, New Jersey Cresskill is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,155, an increase of 582 (+6.8%) from the 2010 United S ...

for 17 years. He resides in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

and is a member of Kehilat Sinai, a Conservative synagogue.

Music career

His music reflects a fusion of the three countries in which he was raised: Israel, Spain and England. Since 1977, when his hit song “Yihye Tov” (Things Will Be Better) first hit the airwaves, David Broza has been working to promote a message of peace. In 2013, Broza began work on a new project – bringing together Israeli and Palestinian musicians for 8 days and nights to work side by side in an East Jerusalem recording studio. The result was ''East Jerusalem West Jerusalem'', a collection of thirteen songs that blends cultures, languages and styles into a powerful statement about collaboration and coexistence. The album, produced by

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

, features a stirring duet with

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

. In 2007, a concert at

Masada Masada ( ', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BCE, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising ov ...

featured Broza with special guests

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

and

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early life Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...

. David Broza appeared as a guest and shared the bill with

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

and others. In 2022, Broza began singing at Temple Emanuel in New York City on Friday nights. The service consists of 14 prayers set to music by Broza with a back up of 27 musicians and a choir. Broza wrote the 14 melodies in 14 days and turned them into an album, ''Tefila.'' Also in 2022, he contributed a guitar-based original score to the film, ''Who Are the Marcuses?''.

Musical collaboration

In 1994, David Broza performed with Texan singer-songwriter

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

during a Writers in the Round concert in Houston. They never met or had any further contact thereafter, and yet, when Van Zandt died three years later, he left Broza a shoe box full of unreleased poems and lyrics with a request that Broza set them to music. Years later, the result of that unusual story was the album "Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt", which was released by Broza in 2010. In 2007, David Broza performed at his annual Sunrise at

concert in Israel where Broza collaborated with

and

. The concert was filmed as part of a PBS special and was released in 2014 on DVD and CD by Magenta Label Group. In early 2013, Broza recorded sessions at Sabreen Studios in East Jerusalem with a band composed of both Israeli and Palestinian musicians, including

Mira Awad Mira Anwar Awad (; ; born June 11, 1975) is a Palestinian-Israeli singer-songwriter, actress, television host, and political activist of Arab Palestinian and Bulgarian descent. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 alon ...

, Shaa'nan Streett of

Hadag Nahash Hadag Nahash ( ', ) is an Israeli hip hop and funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem, which makes leftist political statements in many of its protest songs. History Hadag Nahash has been a major contributor to the Israeli hip-hop scene, and ...

, West Bank rap duo G-Town and

. The resulting album, "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem," produced by

and Steve Greenberg, was released in early 2014 on

S-Curve Records S-Curve Records is an American record label founded in 2000 by former Mercury Records executive Steve Greenberg. It is based in New York City. In 2001 the label established a distribution and licensing agreement with EMI Records. Among the hit ...

. The aforementioned Haitian performer

also appeared on the title track of the 2014 album.

Peace activism

Broza was appointed a goodwill ambassador for

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

. His song "Together" (co-written with Ramsey McLean) was the theme song for the UNICEF 50th anniversary celebration in more than 148 countries.

Discography

*''La Mujer Que Yo Quiero'' (Spanish, 2023) *''Tefila'' (Hebrew, 2022) *''David Broza Sings Leonard Cohen'' (English, 2022) *''En Casa Limón'' (Instrumental Guitar, 2020) *''The Golden Ring'' (Hebrew, 2018) *''The Long Road'' (Single) (English, 2016) *''We Are All Alike (All Tears Are Alike) (Single)'' (Hebrew, 2016) *''Andalusian Love Song'' (Hebrew, 2015) *''East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem'' (English, 2014) *''Third Language'' (Hebrew, 2011) *''Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry Of

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

'' (English, 2010) *''At Masada: The Sunrise Concert featuring Shawn Colvin & Jackson Browne'' (English, 2007) *''Broza 5'' (Live at Zappa Tel Aviv, 2007) *''Things Will Be Better: The Best of David Broza'' (JMG, 2006) *''Parking Completo'' (Spanish and Hebrew, 2006) *''Hameitav'' (Best Of in Hebrew, 2004) *''Parking Completo'' (Spanish, 2004) *''Todo O Nada'' (Spanish version of ''All or Nothing'', 2002) *''All Or Nothing'' (Hebrew, 2002) *''Painted Postcard'' (English & Hebrew, 2002) *''Spanish Heart'' (English, 2001) *''Isla Mujeres'' (''The Women's Island''), DRO East West/Warner Records Spain (Spanish, 2000) *''Matchil Linshom'' (''Starting to Breathe''), Hed Artzi/RGB Records Gold (Hebrew, 1999) *''Sodot Gdolim'' (''Big Secrets''), RGB Records (Hebrew, 1995) *''Stone Doors'', RGB Records (English, 1994) *''Second Street'', RGB Records (English, 1994) *''Elements of Love'', RGB Records (Hebrew, 1994) *''Masada Live'', RGB Records Platinum (Hebrew, 1994) *''Time of Trains'', RGB Records (English, 1993) *''Neshika Gnuva'' (''Stolen Kiss''), NMC Music (Hebrew, 1991) *''First Collection'', NMC Music (Hebrew, 1990) *''Away From Home'', RGB Records (English, 1989) *'' Poets in New York (Poetas en Nueva York)'' (contributor,

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

tribute album, 1986) *''Broza'', NMC Music (Hebrew, 1984) *''Haisha Sheiti'' (''The Woman by My Side''), NMC Music Quadruple Platinum (Hebrew, 1983) *''Klaf'' (ACE), NMC Music (Hebrew, 1981) *''David Broza'', NMC Music (Hebrew, 1979) *''Hakeves Ha Shisha Asar'' (''The Sixteenth Sheep''), NMC Music (Hebrew, 1978) *''Sikhot Salon'' (''Small Talk''), Phohokol (Hebrew, 1977)

References

External links

Official website

British Friends of Neve Shalom
* at aviv2.com
American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam

David Broza: Making the Music the Poem Wants

David Broza's recording of 'V'ulai'
for Pioneers for a Cure {{DEFAULTSORT:Broza, David 1955 births Living people Flamenco Folk rock musicians Israeli activists Israeli folk singers Israeli guitarists 21st-century Israeli male singers Israeli people of British-Jewish descent Israeli people of Dutch-Jewish descent 20th-century Israeli male singers Jewish singers Singers from New Jersey People from Cresskill, New Jersey Musicians from Haifa Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Spanish-language singers of Israel English-language singers from Israel Hebrew-language singers Israeli male singer-songwriters Israeli singer-songwriters Musicians from Bergen County, New Jersey