Rika Zarai, an Israeli singer who was a worldwide success, broke up with us yesterday at the age of 82. Zarai became famous in the 1960s, and became a household name in Israeli art, when her husband Yohanan Zarai composed many hits for her, including ‘The Sycamore Garden’.
Since the 1960s, the singer has developed an international career. When she remarried to French musician Jean-Pierre Mania, she moved to France and was very successful when she collaborated with Charles Aznavour and Jacques Berl. In addition to her songs that became hits, Zarai brought to the French-Jewish listener songs from Israeli folklore, including: “Jerusalem of Gold” and “Let’s Reveal.” The biggest hit was ‘Kazachuk’, a French version of a song known in Hebrew as ‘Katyushka’, released in 1969.
Later in life she became interested in natural medicine and became a best-selling author in the field, when she published the book ‘My Natural Doctor’. During the 2000s, too, Zarai continued to record and perform and was a beloved and accepted singer in Israel and France.
In memory of Zarai, one of the greatest Israeli singers, we have prepared a musical sequence in which many of her great songs can be heard, which have become an asset to Israeli culture.
Song list
- The Sycamore Garden
- The sound of a clock
- End of summer
- Much light and azure
- Red, blue, green
- Ruhama
- The Wild Song
- Eldorado
- my home
- A thousand violins
- love song
- evening of Roses
- Jerusalem of Gold