When the world waved goodbye to the year 2011, Israel separated from one of its greatest music icons – the singer YaffaYarqoni(יָפָהיַרְקוֹנִי). Yarqoni, (24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was born as YaffaAbramov near Tel-Aviv at the time that the land of Israel was ruled by the British Mandate. As an adolescent, she was a promising dancer who also sang in her mother’s café with her brother and sister. At the age of eighteen she joined the Hagana (the defense force of the Jewish Community and the Zionist movement prior to the establishment of the State of Israel) as a wireless operator. In 1944 she married Joseph Gustin, who fought in World War II with the Jewish Brigade and was killed 6 months later in a battle in Italy. As Gustin was the last survivor of his family who died during the holocaust, Yaffa’s family decided to change their last name to Gustin to keep the name of that lost family alive.
YaffaYarkoni entertaining troops in one of their camps during the
Six-Day-War (July 4th 1967). Photographer: Eldan David, The national collection
When Israel Independence war broke, Yaffa joined the troops as a singer to keep the soldiers’ moral up. She married ShaikeYarkoni and became known as YaffaYarkoni. She continued singing and recording a wide range of songs in the Hebrew language as well as other languages eteacherhebrew.com– war songs, love songs, dancing songs, pop songs, and children songs. During the sixties and the seventies she performed all over the world including the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York and Olympia in Paris. In 1998, on Israel 50th anniversary, YaffaYarkoni was awarded the “Israel Prize” – the highest honor award handed out by the State of Israel.
YaffaYarkoni was dubbed Israel's "War Singer" due to her frequent performances for the soldiers, especially in wartime. She didn’t like that name stating that all the performing artists did the same. But her deep warm voice is remembered singing song of war and longing for peace.
The word Shalom ((שָׁלוֹם in the Hebrew language means peace, completeness, and welfare. It is also a blessing when you meet someone or when you depart. When you say Shalom at the end of a meeting it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re about to meet this person again. However, when you say “lehitra’ot” (לְהִתְרָאוֹת, see you) it means that you’ll meet again.
The following song describes two lovers who say goodbye when the men goes to war – the woman asks that he won’t say Shalom, that he will say Lehitra’ot so they meet again. YaffaYarkoni used to sing this song to soldiers.
See if you can find all of the words in the puzzle below:
Hebrew Name
יָפָה
Name:
Yafa (Yaffa)
Gender:
Female
Meaning:
Beautiful, pretty.
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