Achinoam Nini

Achinoam Nini (Hebrew: אחינועם ניני; Aẖinóʻam Nini; born June 23, 1969; known outside of Israel as Noa), is an Israeli singer of Yemenite background. She is accompanied by guitarist Gil Dor and often plays the conga drum as she sings. Nini represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 jointly with singer Mira Awad, with the song "There Must Be Another Way."

Biography

Achinoam Nini was born in Bat Yam to a Yemeni-Jewish family. She lived in New York City from age 2. She attended SAR Academy and the Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein Upper School of Ramaz High School, and remained in New York until her return to Israel alone at the age of 16. She did her mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces performing with a military entertainment troupe.After her release she studied music at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon, where she met her long-time partner and collaborator Gil Dor.

Nini is married to Asher Barak, a pediatrician. They have three children, Ayehli, Eyneha and Yum.

Ahinoam

Ahinoam (Hebrew: אחינועם‎) is a Hebrew name literally meaning brother of pleasantness, thus meaning pleasant.

There are two references in the Bible to people who bear that name:

Some scholars suggest that the two may be, in fact, one person. In 2 Samuel 12:8, God tells David through the prophet Nathan, "I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms." Jon Levenson suggests that this implies David took Ahinoam from Saul.

However, with Jonathan about the same age as, if not older than, David, Ahinoam, the wife of Saul, would be too old to give birth to David's first-born son, Amnon. Another objection is that the marriage of Ahinoam and David occurred during The Civil War between the House of David and the House of Saul.