Tzruya (or Tsruya) "Suki" Lahav ( he, צרויה להב, born 1951) is an Israeli

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist,

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

, screenwriter, and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

. Lahav was a member of Bruce Springsteen's

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

from September 1974 to March 1975, then returned to Israel and found success there.

Biography

Tzruya Lahav was born and raised in Kibbutz

Ayelet HaShahar Ayelet HaShahar ( he, אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר) is a kibbutz in northern Israel acquired in 1892 and settled in the second Aliyah, located on the Korazim Plateau, by the Rosh Pina – Metulla road, it is approximately south of Kiryat S ...

in the

Upper Galilee The Upper Galilee ( he, הגליל העליון, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; ar, الجليل الأعلى, ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period. It originally referred to a mounta ...

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 ...

, where she played kibbutz harvest music as well as classical music, growing up.

1970s and 1980s

Following her service in the

Israeli military The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...

, she arrived in the United States in 1971 with her husband Louis Lahav, a recording engineer who in 1972 began working with Springsteen, who in turn was looking for a violinist. On record with Springsteen, most of Suki Lahav's parts did not make it to released form, but she sang the choir-like vocals on "

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album ''The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle''. It was released as a single from the al ...

" from the album '' The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle'' and played violin on "

Jungleland "Jungleland" is the closing song on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album ''Born to Run''. It contains one of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons' most recognizable solos. It also features short-time E Streeter Suki Lahav, who performs the deli ...

" from the ''

Born to Run ''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number three ...

'' album. In concert, Lahav's violin were a focal point of slow songs during Springsteen's shows of this time, and her "pale" "willowy" presence on stage contrasted with Springsteen's. During their time in the US, a daughter, Tal was born. She was killed in a road accident at the age of three and a half. They returned to Israel in the spring of 1975. The couple divorced in 1977. Lahav, now known by her Hebrew name Tzruya (or sometimes transliterated as Tsruya), was briefly married to the actor

Shabtai Konorti Shabtai Konorti ( he, שבתאי קונורטי; December 13, 1943 – May 27, 2002) was an Israeli actor. Biography Born in Bulgaria, Konorti moved to Israel with his family at the age of six. He studied at the Municipal High School in Tel Aviv ...

. After the divorce, she established a family with Moshe Albalek in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. By 1985, she had two children and little involvement in the music industry. Then she began working as a violinist and violist, appearing with the

Israeli Kibbutz Orchestra 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 ...

, and as an actress.

1990s and 2000s

She became a successful lyricist, writing for prominent musicians and singers in Israel; "

Shara Barkhovot Shara may refer to: * Shara District, an administrative subdivision of Iran * Shara, Leh, a village in Jammu and Kashmir, India *Šar Mountains (''Shar Mountains''), colloquially Šara (''Shara''), Balkans *Shara (god) Shara ( Sumerian: 𒀭𒁈, ...

" ("Singing in the Streets"), the Israeli entry in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1990 The Eurovision Song Contest 1990 was the 35th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia, following the country's victory at the with the song " Rock Me" by Riva. It was the only time Yugoslavia ...

performed by

Rita Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...

, featured her words, and some of her songs are considered icons of

Israeli music 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 ...

.Tamar Sukenik
"They're playing my song"
'' Haaretz'', May 10, 2007. She also recast existing song lyrics from other languages into Hebrew, such as the

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

song "

Famous Blue Raincoat "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It is the sixth track on his third album, ''Songs of Love and Hate'', released in 1971. The song is written in the form of a letter (many of the lines are written in amphibrachs). The lyric tells ...

" in 1993. In 1999, she wrote the lyrics for the multi-ethnic collaborative,

Glykeria Glykeria (born Glykeria Kotsoula, el, Γλυκερία; born 16 November 1953 in Agio Pnevma, Serres) is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey, Spain, and England. Her career has spanned o ...

's recording "Tfilat Ha'imahot" ("The Mothers' Prayer"), which also featured

Amal Murkus Amal Murkus ( ar, أمل مرقس, he, אמל מורקוס, born 11 July 1968) is a Palestinian singer. Her post-modern music style has a variety of Mediterranean influences. Her first album, ''Amal'', was released in 1998, and her second, ''Sh ...

and Yehudit Tamir. In 2003, the album ''No Longer the Sea: A Collection Of Tzruya Lahav's Songs'' was released, featuring performances by

Yehudit Ravitz Yehudit Ravitz ( he, יהודית רביץ; born December 29, 1956) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, multidisciplinary artist, composer and music producer. She is one of the most successful and famous Israeli rock musicians, with a career spannin ...

Meir Banai Meir Banai ( he, מאיר בנאי‎; 5 July 1961 – 12 January 2017) was an Israeli musician, singer, and songwriter. Biography Meir Banai was born in Beersheba in 1961, the son of Yitzhak Banai, to a traditional Jewish family which has pr ...

, Yehuda Poliker, and others. Her songs have also been performed by Israeli artists

Gidi Gov Gideon "Gidi" Gov ( he, גידי גוב; 4 August 1950) is an Israeli singer, TV host, entertainer, and actor. He was married to the late Anat Gov with whom he had three children. Biography Early life Gov was born in Rehovot, Israel, to Da ...

Rami Kleinstein Rami Kleinstein ( he, רמי קלינשטיין; born 10 November 1962) is an Israeli singer and composer. Biography Kleinstein was born in New York City, to an American-Jewish family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He immigrated to Israel with his ...

, and

Ricky Gal Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

. In 2004, a show of her songs was produced 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 ...

. Lahav authored screenplays, including the 1996 Israeli crime film ''Kesher Dam'', and two novels: ''Andre’s Wooden Clogs'' (Kinneret, 2002), based on the true-life story of a boy's survival of

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

in the Netherlands (in Hebrew, also translated to Dutch, Italian ), and ''The Swamp Queen Does The Tango'' (

Am Oved Am Oved ("A Working People") is an Israeli publishing house. History Am Oved was founded in 1942 by Berl Katznelson, who was its first Editor in Chief. It was created as an organ of the Histadrut, Israel's federation of Labor, with a goal of publi ...

, 2004), an adult fairy tale (in Hebrew). Both books won numerous awards and prizes for literature, including the Yad Vashem Prize and the Minister of Culture's prize for first work. She also teaches

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

in Jerusalem, where she lives in the German Colony neighborhood.

References

Sources

* Steven Allan, Interview with Suki Lahav. '' Backstreets'' magazine, December 1985. * Cross, Charles R. ''Backstreets: Springsteen - The Man and His Music''.

Harmony Books Harmony Books is an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, itself part of publisher Penguin Random House. It was founded by Bruce Harris, a Crown executive, in 1972. The imprint has been used for such books as: * Jill Freedman, ''Circus Days'' ...

, 1989/1992. . * Graff, Gary. ''The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen A to E to Z''.

Visible Ink Press Visible Ink Press, LLC is a publisher of popular reference works. Its headquarters are in Canton Charter Township, Michigan in Metro Detroit. It was founded in 1989 as an imprint of Gale and later spun-off as an independent company in 2000. The H ...

, 2005. .

External links

*
Short biography (English)

Another short biography (Hebrew, but has photo)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahav, Suki 1951 births Living people 20th-century Israeli women singers Israeli violinists Israeli stage actresses Israeli songwriters Israeli novelists Israeli female screenwriters Israeli Jews E Street Band members Place of birth missing (living people) Hebrew-language writers Israeli women novelists Israeli expatriates in the United States 21st-century violinists