Zion Golan ( he, ציון גולן ''Tzion Golan''; ar, صهيون غولان ''Sahyoun Ghawlan''; ''Zion Golan''; b. 1955), also known as Tzion Golan, is an Israeli singer of
Yemenite Jewish
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...
origin.
Background
Most of Golan's songs are in
Judeo-Yemeni Arabic
Judeo-Yemeni Arabic (also known as Judeo-Yemeni and Yemenite Judeo-Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by Jews living or formerly living in Yemen. The language is quite different from mainstream Yemeni Arabic, and is written in the Hebrew alph ...
and in
Yemenite Hebrew
Yemenite Hebrew ( ''ʿĪvrīṯ Tēmŏnīṯ''), also referred to as Temani Hebrew, is the pronunciation system for Hebrew traditionally used by Yemenite Jews. Yemenite Hebrew has been studied by language scholars, many of whom believe it to retai ...
. Most of his songs were written and composed in Israel by himself, his mother in law, Naomi Amrani and by other Israeli writers. Some of his songs were written by the famous
Rabbi Shalom Shabazi.
Golan has recorded over 22 albums. He records mostly from a studio in his own home.
Personal life
Golan was born to Yemeni immigrants in
Ashkelon
Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...
, Israel. A
modern Orthodox Yemenite Jew, he currently lives with his wife and three children (two girls, one boy) in the Ahuzat Etrog neighborhood of
Merkaz Shapira.
In 1974, Golan joined the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
as a soloist in the
Israel Army Rabbinical choir.
Worldwide reach
Golan's music is popular outside of Israel, particularly in Yemen, where his family originates. Though the Yemeni government prohibits direct contact with Israel, Golan's records have managed to reach the Yemeni public via the underground, selling around 50,000 copies per album release. It has been reported that his songs are known to "blare from cafes and taxis" in Yemen.
According to an interview in Israeli daily ''
Yedioth Ahronoth
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
'', at one point in time Golan was set to give a performance in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...
, and visas were to be issued by the Jordanian embassy 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 ...
, but the concert was canceled because of concerns for Golan's family.
Golan's songs are also sung by contemporary Yemeni singers such as
Fadel Al Hamami Fadel (also spelled Fadl ar, فضل or Fadil, ar, فاضل) is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "generous, honorable, superior". Notable people with the name include:
Given name Fadl
* Fadl ibn Abbas (611–639), cousin of the Islamic p ...
.
Example of Songs written in Israel
The following songs were written and composed by Israelis, as mentioned on his album covers:
[http://media.israel-music.com/images/03505609_b.jpg ]
*Aba Shimon – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody By Zion Golan
*Halaluyoh – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody By Zion Sharabi
*Bint AlYaman – Lyrics by Aharon Amram, Melody by Zion Golan & Aharon Amram
*Halani – Lyrics by Rabbi Mordechai Yitzhari, Melody by Zion Golan
*Salam Salam – Lyrics by Rabbi Mordechai Yitzhari, Melody by Zion Golan
*Ahai Bane Teman – Lyrics by Rabbi Mordechai Yitzhari, Melody by Zion Golan
*Yuma Ya Yuma – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody by Zion Golan
*Sali Galbi – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody by Jacky Tubie
*Yom Al Ahad – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody by Jacky Tubie
*Diker Almahiba – Lyrics and Melody by Aharon Amram
*Adan Adan – Lyrics and Melody by Naomi Amrani
*Shufuni Be'Enak – Lyrics by Naomi Amrani, Melody by Zion Golan
*Rais Al-Mal – Lyrics by Leah Zlotnik, Melody by Lior Farhi
*Alf Mabruk – Lyrics and Melody by Zion Golan
*Yaman Yaman – Lyrics and Melody by Naomi Amrani
*Allah Yhibak – Lyrics and Melody by Ahraon Amram
Selected Discography
*''leAkhai Bani Teman'', 1992 ( he, לאחי בני תימן, ''To my Yemeni brothers'')
*''Salam Salam'', 1995 ( he, סלאם סלאם)
*''Abo Sholem Shabazi'', 2000 ( he, אבא שלום שבזי)
*''miTemon liYisroel'', 2001 ( he, מתימן לישראל, ''From Yemen to Israel'')
*''Ashorer Shir'', 2001? ( he, אשורר שיר)
*''Irham ya Rabi'', 2004 ( he, ארחם יא רבי)
*''Mahrozot Niflaot v'Duetim'', 2005 ( he, מחרוזות נפלאות ודואטים)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golan, Zion
1955 births
Living people
20th-century Israeli male singers
Israeli Modern Orthodox Jews
Israeli pop singers
People from Ashkelon
Yemenite Orthodox Jews
Israeli people of Yemeni-Jewish descent
21st-century Israeli male singers