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Hanna Dresner-Tzakh ( he, חנה דרזנר; born 17 September 1947), better known by her stage name Ilanit (, ), is an
Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...
singer. She was one of Israel's most popular singers from the late 1960s to the 1980s, both as a soloist and in the duo ''Ilan ve-Ilanit. Ilanit also represented
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
twice in the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
. In a career spanning over 4 decades, Ilanit recorded and produced over 600 songs and more than 30 best-selling albums.


Biography

Hanna Dresner (later Ilanit) was born in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
after her parents
immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. In 1953, at the age of 5, the family moved to Brazil where they joined a number of South American acts. In 1960, at the age of 13, Ilanit moved back to Israel. In 1962 Ilanit was discovered in a youth talent contest organized by
WIZO The Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO; he, ויצו ') is a volunteer organization dedicated to social welfare in all sectors of Israeli society, the advancement of the status of women, and Jewish education in Israel and the Diasp ...
and the magazine '' Ma'ariv Youth''.


Singing career

Shlomo Zach, an Israeli singer whom she later married, formed a trio that was later known as "גידי, צח וחנה" (Gidi, Zach, and Hanna). The trio became a duo, renamed "''Ilan & Ilanit''". In 1966 the duo's first album was produced, named "Ilan Ilan". Two of their songs, "''לכל אדם כוכב''" (A star for everyone) and "''בואי סניורינה''" (Come, Miss) became hits topping the music charts. The duo became a big success during the 60s in Israel and abroad. Their 1970 hit "Veshuv Itchem" ("With You Again" in Hebrew) was covered by Turkish singer
Şenay Şenay is a feminine Turkish given name. Notable people with the name include: * Şenay Gürler Şenay Gürler (born 28 June 1966) is a Turkish actress. She was graduated from Dokuz Eylül University in Fine Arts. She performed at the İzmi ...
as "Sev Kardeşim" ("Love my brother/sister" in Turkish) in 1971. Şenay became famous with singing this cover. In 1968 Ilanit released her first solo song, "כבר אחרי חצות" (kvar acharei chatzot / "It's After Midnight"). The record came with the song, "בוא ונשתגע בחולות" (bo ve-nishtage'ah ba-cholot / "Let's Go Crazy in the Sands") by Ilan & Ilanit. Her first solo performance took place in the 1969 Israeli Song Festival where she sang "שיר בארבעה בתים" (shir b'arbaah batim / "Song in Four Verses"). While she did not win the competition, the song itself became a big success. In 1973, she first took part in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg where she reached the fourth position with the song "
Ey Sham "Ey Sham" (Hebrew script: ; translation: "Somewhere") is a song by Israeli singer Ilanit, written in Hebrew by Ehud Manor and composed by Nurit Hirsh, and recorded in several other languages. The song is 's debut entry at the Eurovision Song Cont ...
" ("Somewhere"). This was also the first ever participation of Israel in the Song Contest. The song was composed by
Nurit Hirsh Nurit Hirsh ( he, נורית הירש, b. Tel Aviv, August 13, 1942) is an Israeli composer, arranger and conductor who has written over a thousand Hebrew songs. Three of her most famous and widely known songs are '' Ba-Shanah ha-Ba'ah'' (''Next ...
, who also conducted the orchestra in Luxembourg on that occasion. It was only the second time that the orchestra was conducted by a woman; the first time was on that very evening (Monica Dominique, "You're Summer", Sweden). The second participation by Ilanit was in London in 1977 with a song entitled "Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim" ("Love is a Song for Two"). With this song she came eleventh. Ilanit was going to try to represent Israel in the Eurovision for a third time, at the
1984 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1984, the 29th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Si la vie est cadeau" by Corinne Hermes. Organised by t ...
. But Israel cancelled its participation in the contest that year due to a conflict with its
Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
. Rather than wait a year for the next contest, Ilanit decided to release the song she was going to compete with, "Balalaika" in 1984. At that time Ilanit was already one of Israel's most popular singers and the song "Balalaika" became an instant hit, despite not being a Eurovision song entry representing Israel.Balalaika
on
Yoram Taharlev Yoram Taharlev ( he, יורם טהרלב; 24 January 1938 – 6 January 2022) was an Israeli poet, lyricist, and author. He wrote lyrics for hundreds of songs recorded by prominent composers and performers. Biography Yoram Taharlev was born on ...
's web site Ilanit was named Israel's top female singer every year from 1971 to 1977, something no other singer has achieved. In 1974 Ilanit represented Israel at the
World Popular Song Festival The , also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held from 1970 until 1989. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan from 1970 until 1989. The first ed ...
In Tokyo '74 with the song "Shiru Shir Lashemesh" ("Sing A Song to the Sun"). The final was held on 17 November and she came ninth. Together with other established Israeli artists she took part in a tour through North America in 2005. After "Brazilian Dream," released in 1996, she didn't record a new album for 12 years. In 2008, she emerged released the album "Israelit." She continues to perform occasionally at special events, for example, the Hadassah centennial in October 2012. She also appeared at the opening of the Grand Final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest where she performed the chorus of "Ey-Sham."


See also

*
Music of Israel The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For almost 150 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements ...


References


External links


Ilanit interview from Ynetnews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilanit 1947 births Living people 20th-century Israeli women singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Israel Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1973 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1977 People from Tel Aviv Thelma Yellin High School of Arts alumni Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent