Yehoram Gaon will host a tribute evening to the Israel Song Festival at Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, December 1, with Ilanit as special guest. Sixteen singers, most of them the artists who first performed the songs, will take the stage.
The festival began in 1960 and for decades was the main event of Israeli music, closing the Independence Day celebrations every year. Many of the songs that premiered there became classics. The evening will include archival footage and rare photos from the festival broadcasts on Channel 1, and Gaon, who competed in several of the festivals, will share his memories.
Also performing are Avi Toledano, Ilana Avital, Dafna Armoni, Izhar Cohen, Miri Aloni, Natan Slor, Sylvan and Yair, the Sexta band, Irit Dotan and Shuly Nathan. The program includes “Ahavata shel Teresa Dimon,” “Abanibi,” “Baderech Hazara,” “Shir Le’erev Hag,” “Otach” and “Noladti Lashalom.”
Two tributes will be presented during the evening. One goes to Hanoch Hasson, 95, former head of the Kol Israel radio music department and Channel 1’s entertainment department, who edited and produced most of the festivals. The other goes to Effi Netzer, 92, who led sing-alongs during the vote counts at many of the festivals and composed “Ballada Lahovesh,” the winner of the 1969 festival.
Arrangements and musical direction are by Vered Piker, and the show was edited by Yuval Niv.
When: December 1, 2026, 8:30 p.m. Doors open 90 minutes before the show, and latecomers are seated where space is available.
Where: Heichal HaTarbut, Tel Aviv.
Running time: 90 minutes.
More information is available on the Charles Bronfman Auditorium website.
