Remembering Ofra Haza on what would have been her 63rd birthday

Ofra Haza was an international Israeli singer whose voice dazzled audiences for decades. Her music would be known as World pop, ethnic electronics synthpop as well as a mixture of traditional and commercial styles of her Yemeni heritage. She became known as the Madonna of the East. I was first introduced to her in the 1998 film The Prince of Egypt as the singing voice for Jochebed, Moses’ mother. I was reintroduced to her recently as I did a study on Jochebed and discovered her other music. Sadly, she died in 2000. Today would have been her 63^rd birthday. I would like to introduce everyone to Ofra Haza. She may be done but she left behind such a beautiful success story and amazing music for us to remember her.

Born Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza on November 19, 1957 in Hatikva, Tel Aviv, Israel. She was the youngest of nine children to Yefet and Shoshana Haza, Mizrahi Jewish parents who had immigrated from Yemen. At the age of 12, Ofra joined a local theater troupe, and manager Bezalel Aloni noticed her singing talent and featured her in many of his productions. Aloni would become her mentor and manager as her singing career progressed. At 19, she would be Israel’s foremost popstar. After her first album, Al Ahavot Shelanu (About Our Loves) was released in 1980, it produced a string of radio hits. She would be named Female Vocalist of the Year by Kol Israel Radio for four years straight, 1980-1983. In 1983, she released Shirey Moledet, her renditions of Israeli folk songs which went platinum and produced two volumes in 1985 and 1987. She was so popular that she was asked by Michael Jackson to do a joint international concert tour in 1990, which she turned down (Shahar). In 1997, she married Doron Ashkenazi.

Her career would include many collaborations and performances. She would provide vocals for Sarah Brightman’s Harem (2003) on the song, “Mysterious Days.” She did duets with Paul Anka, Cliff Richards, and Iggy Pop (Shahar). She sang on various movie soundtracks including Colors (1998), Dick Tracy (1990), Queen Margot (1994) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). The animators for The Prince of Egypt were so moved by her beauty that they used her image for Jochebed. She would also sing “Deliver Us” in each language the movie was translated in, 18 in all. Ofra would also do a series of covers from Carol King and James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” to Madonna’s “Open Your Heart.” One of my favorite covers by Ofra is Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” She did two versions. One was upbeat and sounds similar to Zeppelin’s version and a second version which is slow and very haunting (which is my favorite of the two versions).

Ofra Haza died on February 23, 2000 at the age of 42 from AIDS related pneumonia. Her death was controversial in Israel despite her HIV positive status was generally known. Many people would blame her husband, Doron, for giving her HIV. However, she got HIV from a blood transfusion in a Turkish hospital following treatment from a miscarriage (Paphides, 2010). When her death ws announced, Israeli radio played her music nonstop while then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak praised her as a cultural emissary and an Israeli success story. He would say that she “emerged from the Hatikavh slums to reach the peak of Israeli culture. She has left a mark on us all” A park in the Hatikva Quarter was renamed in her honor. Her death from AIDS related causes added another layer of mourning for her fans and the people of Israel as “She was a beautiful crystal ball that suddenly shattered without anyone knowing it was cracked” (Shalev, 2020).

In conclusion, Ofra Haza was a rare beauty and talent who left an undeniable mark in Israel and on me. She is a success story that one can rise above their beginnings and leave their mark on the world they leave behind. It saddens me that I didn’t know her and her music during her lifetime. However, I love that I can enjoy the music she left behind. One of my favorite songs is Yershalayim Shel Zahav (“Jerusalem in Gold”) which she sang at the officially ceremony marking Israel’s 50^th anniversary. I have posted the link to her performance above. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

                                                                    References

Paphides, Peter (December 9, 2010). Ofra Haza: Madonna of the dark soul. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/music/2010/dec/09/ofra-haza-madonna-of-the-dark-soul. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Shahar, Nathan (no date). Ofra Haza. My Jewish Learning. www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ofra-haza/. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Shalev, Ben (February 27, 2020). Looking Back at Ofra Haza's Transformation, 20 Years After the Death of Israel's Iconic Singer. Haaretz. www.haaretz.com/life/.premium.MAGAZINE-20-years-to-iconic-singer-s-death-looking-back-at-ofra-haza-s-transformation-1.8590931. Retrieved November 18, 2020.