Shalom friends,

When a singer is loved by adults and teenagers for more than 50 years, there must be something unique about him – something that appeals to the changing generations. In this issue we present Arik Einstein (אָרִיק אַיְנְשְׁטֵיין) – the singer that is heard the most in Israel.

What does make Arik Einstein so popular and loved for so many years?

Arik Einstein gives many Israelis the feeling that he represents the “real Eretz Yisrael” – his songs relate to the past, to the present, and to the future of Israel. He is best known as a singer, yet his skits are timeless, and the movies he participated in became cult-movies. He has worked with various musicians and artists throughout the years and was always open to different genres.

Arik Einstein was born as Arye in 1939 in Tel Aviv. As a teenager he was a promising Athlete, but when it was time to enroll in the Army, his father, a theatre performer, urged him to audition for an army entertainment troupe.  This was the beginning of a great career. Einstein was a singer at the Nachal entertainment troupe and when he was released from the Army he started singing in various musical bands.

Einstein was innovative in music and in adopting new technologies. He was the first to adapt the rock music to Israeli songs in the late sixties; he also produced the first Israeli video clip and the first Israeli CD album. Einstein's influence has been so profound that virtually all Israeli pop music can be traced back to musical projects in which he participated. He managed to infuse the new styles of rock and pop with a deep Israeli flavor.

In the early 1980’s Einstein decided to stop performing in front of an audience. He continued writing songs, producing albums and collaborating with various artists. Altogether, he recorded more than 500 songs. His fans are still waiting for him to give a live performance, but have to make do with his new releases.

Yoav Kutner, an acclaimed Israeli music editor, described Arik Einstein as “more than the greatest Israeli singer ever. Einstein is the real Eretz Yisrael. Although the State of Israel was established when he was only nine years old, it seems as if his voice and songs has always been with us, from the time of the small Eretz Yisrael, through the wars and the happy times, the ups and downs, the good and bad. In endless creativity he releases marvelous albums for more than thirty years, and never stops renewing, being current and interesting. He finds young talents and knows how to keep his unique style. In his albums he creates a reality or reacts to the reality from an original perspective that is always funny and sad at the same time, and mostly filled with love: to relatives, friends, places, memories, songs and old stories…” 

לְהִתְרָאוֹת,

שִׁירָה כֹּהֵן-רֶגֶב
Shira Cohen-Regev

The eTeacherHebrew Team