- Haim Hefer
-
Haim Hefer 
Hefer (bottom, center) with the Chizbatron troupe in September, 1949.Born Haim Feiner
October 29, 1925
Sosnowiec, PolandOccupation Songwriter, poet, writer Nationality 
IsraeliPeriod 1930s-present Notable award(s) 1983 Israel Prize Haim Hefer (Hebrew: חיים חפר, born Haim Feiner on October 29, 1925) is an Israeli songwriter, poet and writer.
Contents
Biography
Hefer was born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1925 to Issachar Feiner, a chocolate salesman, and Rivka Herzberg, a housewife. He had a private Hebrew tutor.
His family immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1936 and settled in Raanana. He began writing at the age of 13, as part of a national contest. He never finished high school and joined the Palmach in 1943.[1] He took part in smuggling illegal immigrants through Syria and Lebanon. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, he was one of the founders of the Chizbatron, the Palmach army troupe, and was its chief songwriter.[2]
In the 1950s, he and Dahn Ben-Amotz wrote A Bag of Fibs, a collection of tall stories made up in the Palmach, and founded the "Hamam" club in Jaffa. During that time, he founded "Revi'iat Moadon HaTeatron" (Theater Club Quartet). He wrote a weekly column for Yediot Aharonot, which included maqamas on current affairs.[2] A Bag of Fibs achieved cult status in Israel.[3] He was later made a cultural attache to the Israeli consul in Los Angeles.[4]
He wrote for dozens of composers, including Sasha Argov, Moshe Wilensky and Dubi Zeltzer. Artists which performed his songs include Arik Lavi, Yehoram Gaon, Shoshana Damari and Yafa Yarkoni, as well as The High Windows and most Israeli military bands.[2] He wrote lyrics for musicals, including Kazablan and I Like Mike. Many of his songs, such as "Hafinjan" (The Billy Kettle), "Hayu Zmanim" (In Those Days) and "Hamilkhama Ha'achrona" (The Last War) are considered Israeli classics. He also published several collections of his verses.Shortly before the 1948 war, he wrote a song titled "Between the Borders", about immigration. It included the words "We are here, a defensive shield". In 2002, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an operation in the West Bank and named it Operation Defensive Shield.[5]
In 2002, he told Yediot Aharonot that the Moroccan Jews' culture is inferior to that of the Polish Jews. He also called Aviv Geffen a phony and slammed Yafa Yarkoni's criticism of the IDF.[6] His remarks were condemned as racist and were criticized by then President of Israel, Moshe Katsav, members of the Moroccan community, and representatives of the Shas Party,[7] as well as Mizrahi musicians such as Margalit Tzan'ani.[6] Hefer made a public apology and wrote a song for singer Zehava Ben.[8]
Hefer owns a house in Ein Hod,[9] but has been living in Tel Aviv for over 30 years. Since 1978, he has been divorced from Ruti, who gave him a daughter and two grandchildren.[1]
Awards
In 1983, Hefer was awarded the Israel Prize, for Hebrew song (words),[10] for his contribution to the Music of Israel.[11]
In 2005, he was voted the 116th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b Avrahami, Avner. "There are lines I'd erase". Haaretz. http://news.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?itemNo=457213&contrassID=2&subContrassID=13&sbSubContrassID=0. Retrieved October 17, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ a b c Yudilovitch, Merav (November 14, 2005). "Celebrating Haim Hefer's 80th birthday at Tzavta". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3168458,00.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ Rubinstein, Danny (June 12, 2007). "A Jerusalemite enters a restaurant in India and orders a cup of tea". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtSR.jhtml?itemNo=866854&objNo=60104&returnParam=Y. Retrieved September 5, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ Eichner, Itamar (June 23, 2003). "Moti Reif's appointment as cultural attache approved". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-2666833,00.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ Palti, Michal (April 15, 2002). "Song of peace, song of war". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=152550&contrassID=1. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ a b Yudilovitch, Merav; Ari Katorza (June 7, 2002). "Haim Hefer: The Moroccans – Undeveloped". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-1933394,00.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ "Hefer's remarks condemned as racist". Jerusalem Post. June 9, 2002. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-53518981.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Yudilovitch, Merav (June 16, 2003). "Haim Hefer to write for Zehava Ben". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2658696,00.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008. (Hebrew)
- ^ "Ein-Hod Articles". ein-hod.israel.net. http://ein-hod.israel.net/article/prize/. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ "Israel Prize Official Site – Recipients in 1983 (in Hebrew)". http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashmag/Tashnab_Tashmag_Rikuz.htm?DictionaryKey=Tashmag.
- ^ "Hefer, Chaim (1925 – )". Jewish Agency. http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/PEOPLE/hefer.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ גיא בניוביץ' (June 20, 1995). "הישראלי מספר 1: יצחק רבין – תרבות ובידור". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3083171,00.html. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
External links
- Haim Hefer at the Internet Movie Database
- Haim Hefer and Dahn Ben-Amotz. October 28, 2007. Event occurs at 66 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdXK5-yya3I. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
Categories:- 1925 births
- Living people
- Israeli songwriters
- Israeli poets
- Polish Jews
- Palmach fighters
- Israel Prize in Hebrew song recipients
- Sokolov Prize recipients
- Israeli columnists
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