Kobi Oshrat

Kobi Oshrat was born Yaakov Ventura in Haifa on 15 July 1944.[1] He grew up in a household with a strong musical life: his father played mandolin and his mother also played, and Oshrat recalled performing guitar with his parents on the balcony while neighbors came outside to listen.[6] Despite this immersive musical environment, he never formally studied music.[1] His father insisted he learn a trade, and he undertook vocational studies in precision mechanics.[1]

As a teenager, Oshrat formed a duo called Ron Carmel with a friend. The pair won a young-talent competition run by Ma'ariv LaNoar, and the prize included a recording session at Kol Yisrael studios.[7] He began his music career in the Northern Command military band.[4][6] His early professional path included performing with Kobi Recht in the musical "Kare'ach," followed by a musical partnership in the duo the Kubiyot and the group Shuvavei Zion, which also included Hanan Yovel.[7] Increasingly drawn to production rather than performance, he moved away from the stage from the mid-1970s onward.[7]

Oshrat's first composition, "The Whole World Is Against Us," was written in 1969 to words by Yoram Taharlev, after director Danny Litai asked him to compose a melody in a Russian style.[4] His work in production began in earnest in 1973, when he produced Gabi Shushan's album "Na'ar Shachor Einayim," which included "Sixteen Years Old," written with lyricist Ali Mohar and composer Zvika Noy.[7]

In 1974, Oshrat became musical director, composer, and arranger for the children's television program "Rosh Kruv," and that year also composed the theme song for the children's series "HaTzrif Shel Tamari."[6] Through this period he worked regularly with artists including Gabi Shushan, Gali Atari, and Uzi Fox.[4]

His work for Uzi Fox produced one of his most distinctive compositions: "Ein Lecha Mah Lida'og," also known as "Shilchi Li Tachtoneyim Vegufiyot," with lyrics by Telma Aligon-Roz. The song depicts a soldier writing to his girlfriend from the front during the Yom Kippur War and the attrition battles that followed.[8] Oshrat had brought Aligon-Roz a cassette with a melody and asked her to write lyrics to raise soldiers' morale; she drew on a postcard her brother, a reserve soldier called up to the Suez Canal, had sent home.[8] The original version included a request for toilet paper — drawn directly from that postcard — but public protest led to the removal of that line.[8] The song appeared on Fox's first record in 1974.[8]

In 1979, Oshrat composed "Derech Aruka" ("Long Road") to lyrics by Telma Aligon-Roz for the soundtrack of the film "Dizengoff 99," with Gali Atari as performer. The song, whose lyrics concern a winding life journey, became one of the major hits to emerge from that soundtrack.[9] He also composed the theme song for Avi Nesher's film "Sof HaOlam Smola," sung by Ninet Tayeb.[7]

In 1980, the management of Shirotrom approached Oshrat to compose the theme song "Yachad" ("Together") for Milk and Honey. He served as both composer and arranger, with lyrics again by Shimrit Or. Gali Atari sang on the original recording; after she left the band, replacement singer Lea Lupatin appeared in the music video. The song was included on the group's second album.[10]

Oshrat's scope as a composer and producer was formally recognized by ACUM in 2010. Its award committee described his career as extending over more than 40 years and across a wide range of styles, citing works including "Lech Itah," "Gali," "Yaldonat," "Geshem Be'ito," "Derech Arukah," "Bat Shishim," and "Hallelujah." The committee also noted his writing of music for films, television, children's songs, festivals, plays, and commercials.[5] The lifetime-achievement honor was ACUM's Naomi Shemer Prize for a Composer.[5] From 2000 to 2003, he served as Israel's cultural consul in Los Angeles.[7]

In 2013, Oshrat was selected to receive a Life Achievement Award at Holon's Days of Song Festival in recognition of his contribution to Israeli song.[11] He also served as choir director of Or LaMishpacha, a choir composed of bereaved parents and siblings of IDF soldiers who fell in battle.[12] A book by Oshrat was scheduled to be launched at a Hanukkah celebration at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in December 2024.[13]

"Hallelujah," composed by Oshrat with lyrics by Shimrit Or, had a history that began before its triumphant Eurovision debut.[2] The song was submitted for the 1978 Festival of Hebrew Song but was rejected.[7][4] Oshrat then tried to place it with HaKol Over Habibi. A planned public performance was cut from a program, leaving the song eligible for another submission.[7] After singer Shlomit Aharon declined to perform it in 1979, producer Shlomo Tzach suggested building a group around Gali Atari, and Milk and Honey was assembled shortly before the Israeli selection contest.[4]

Milk and Honey won the Israeli contest and represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Jerusalem in 1979, where they took first prize.[2][14] Oshrat also provided the arrangement for the contest performance.[3] The song had to be shortened by 17 seconds to meet Eurovision's time requirements.[7][4] The contest featured 20 countries and a live orchestra.[4] Oshrat later noted that sending a group rather than a solo singer was unusual at the time.[3]

Academically, the song has been situated within the broader "Europeanization" of Israeli popular music during the 1970s. After the Israeli Broadcasting Association decided in 1978 that the Israel Song Festival winner would represent Israel at Eurovision, songwriters increasingly tailored submissions to styles likely to succeed in the European contest.[2] The song follows a Euro-pop formula and moves away from Israeli song and folk genres in favor of a universalist appeal rather than a specifically Israeli nationalist sensibility. Its structure includes a sixteen-bar melody with repeated use of the word "Hallelujah."[2]

Oshrat described meeting ABBA producer Steve Anderson before the contest: Anderson told him he expected "Hallelujah" to win and offered him a five-year contract.[7] Oshrat reported that the song sold 3.1 million singles in Europe, while accounts credit it with more than 400 performances or covers and translations into almost every language.[3][7] It subsequently brought Oshrat more royalties from around the world than all his other songs combined.[7] Decades after its premiere, "Hallelujah" was selected to headline Israel's 70th anniversary celebrations, and in 2019 Gali Atari was scheduled to perform it with the Shalva Band at Expo Tel Aviv during Eurovision.[3]

Oshrat participated in five Eurovision editions and conducted the Israeli entries "Hallelujah" (1979), "Oleh Oleh" (1985), "Hoopa Hula" (1987), "Kan" (1991), and "Ze Rak Sport" (1992). His work across those entries also encompassed composition, arrangement, and production, with 1992 marking his final appearance at the contest.[4] "Oleh Oleh," performed by Izhar Cohen, placed fifth in 1985.[4]

Oshrat's career represents one of the most sustained and wide-ranging contributions to Israeli popular music of the late twentieth century. His output encompasses popular hits, film scores, television themes, and an extensive body of children's music, making him one of the more versatile figures of his generation in the Israeli music industry.[5] The ACUM award committee credited him with more than 40 years of work across a broad stylistic spectrum.[5]

"Hallelujah" remains his most internationally recognized work and a prominent part of Israel's Eurovision history. The song brought Israel its second consecutive Eurovision victory and reportedly sold millions of singles in Europe while receiving more than 400 performances or covers worldwide.[2][7] Oshrat attributed the 1979 victory to the combination of the song's message, its powerful title word, the group's performance, his arrangement, and an element of luck.[3] He also said that the contest's setting in Jerusalem during the year of peace with Egypt contributed to a favorable atmosphere for the Israeli entry.[3]