Ofra Haza

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Ofra Haza (Hebrew: עפרה חזה‎; November 19, 1957 – February 23, 2000) was an Israeli singer, actress and international recording artist. Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano.

Inspired by a love of her Yemenite Jewish and Hebrew culture, her music quickly spread to a wider Middle Eastern audience, somehow bridging the divide between Israel and the Arab countries. As her career progressed, Haza was able to switch between traditional and more commercial singing styles without jeopardizing her credibility. Her music fused elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat. She became successful in Europe and the Americas; during her singing career, she earned many platinum and gold discs.

Early life

Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza was born the youngest of nine children (six sisters and two brothers) in a Yemenite Jewish family, in the Hatikva Quarter, an impoverished neighborhood of Tel Aviv, to her parents Yefet and Shoshana Haza. Her first home was on Boaz Street.

Ofra Haza (album)

Ofra Haza is the eponymous 1997 album by Israeli singer Ofra Haza. The album was produced by Frank Peterson (of Enigma and Gregorian), recorded both in Hamburg as well as at legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, and includes the single release "Show Me", an updated version of "Im Nin' Alu", songs co-written by Peterson, Haza and manager Bezalel Aloni as well as a cover version of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend". Although Haza continued recording until 1999, mainly songs for movie soundtracks and collaborations with other artists, this was to be her final full-length studio album before her death in 2000.

Track listing

Hi (Ofra Haza song)

"Hi" (Hebrew script: חי, English: "Alive") was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed in Hebrew by Ofra Haza. The song title was transliterated at the contest as "Hi", and has also been credited in other media as "Khay", "Jai", "Hay" and "Chai".

The song is a moderately up-tempo number. In the song Haza sings that, despite the "thorns" she has endured, she is still alive. As the song goes on, this is revealed to be a metaphor for "the nation of Israel" (the song is ambiguous as to whether this refers to the modern state or the global Jewish community) surviving various attempts at destroying it. The song had further profound meanings since it was performed on German soil with the Holocaust background and in the city of Munich, the site of the Munich massacre in 1972. Haza performed the entry with five backup singers, who were all dressed in yellow costumes.

The song was performed sixteenth on the night, following Denmark's Gry with "Kloden drejer" and preceding Portugal's Armando Gama with "Esta balada que te dou". At the close of voting, it had received 136 points, placing 2nd in a field of 20. Haza also recorded the song in English, German and French, entitled "High", "Frei" and "Va, Va, Va" respectively.

Ofra

Ofra (Hebrew: עֹפְרָה) is an Israeli settlement located in the northern West Bank in the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. It is situated on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus (Route 60) and has 3,200 inhabitants (2010).

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. According to human rights organization B'Tselem, the state of Israel itself has argued that much of Ofra is built on privately owned Palestinian land, making it also unlawful according to Israeli law.

History

Ofra's establishment in April/May 1975 was part of a struggle between the Gush Emunim settlement movement, which was founded in February 1974, and the Israeli Labor government, which opposed Israeli settlement amid densely populated Palestinian areas. The name was taken for its biblical aura from a town mentioned in the Book of Joshua: Joshua 18:23.

The establishing group from Gush Emunim first obtained jobs at a nearby military base on Mount Ba'al Hatzor. They established a work camp in the abandoned barracks of a Jordanian army base. They then brought in their families and raised an Israeli flag. Though opposed by then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Ofra was given political backing by Shimon Peres, then defense minister in Rabin's government, and by his settlement adviser Moshe Netzer.

Ofra (disambiguation)

Ofra may refer to:

See also