Iconic Israeli entertainer Yehoram Gaon saw his life celebrated at an emotional event, the premiere of a documentary about him, Tonight with Yehoram Gaon, the opening film at the Docu.Text Festival at the National Library of Israel on Monday night.
The movie, directed by Kobi Faraj and Morris Ben-Mayor, was produced by United King Films, Alma Films, Samis Foundation, and both the Hot and Yes television networks. The documentary will be shown on television in the fall.
As a welcome breeze blew over the audience at the emotional outdoor screening, which took place just a few kilometers from the Beit Hakerem neighborhood where Gaon grew up, an appreciative audience watched the film, singing along, laughing, and often breaking into applause.
Gaon, 85, who is sometimes seen as Israel’s national singer and who is one of the last surviving members of a legendary generation of entertainers, was overcome by emotion as he took the stage afterwards. “My deepest gratitude is over the fact that I have had the privilege of returning to and enjoying my life and to meet myself at the beginning of my life until the present – and to still be here!” he said.
Gaon is known as one of Israel’s most beloved singers, and the audience knew all the hits presented in the movie, such as Naomi Shemer’s “I Have Not Loved Enough.” These songs are shown in clips from performances and films, and in some sections of the film, Gaon sings new versions of them, his melodious voice remaining strong. He has also had a high-profile acting career, on both the big and small screens and in the theater. He made a documentary about himself in 1971, I Am a Jerusalemite.
The movie details the life and career of the outspoken, politically right-wing entertainer, who won the Israel Prize more than 20 years ago, in a way that the movie will resonate even with those who may know his name but may not know much about him. It also delves into areas of his life that may be painful for him to recall, painting a complex portrait, with Gaon allowing himself at times to come off as not terribly sympathetic, and expressing regret for some of his actions.
It features a wealth of rare archival footage and stills, which must have taken years of work to assemble on the part of the filmmakers, and for those who treasure Israeli music and culture, it’s a must-see.
Early life of Yehoram Gaon
The section on his early life is especially interesting, as he describes growing up as the son of Yugoslav and Turkish immigrants, in the shadow of World War II and the Independence War. “We’ve been at war 100 years,” Gaon comments. “Not that we have so many wars. We have one long war, and that’s how it should be described.” He found solace through singing and performing, which his parents, especially his father, a demanding historian and teacher, discouraged.
He was in training to join IDF military intelligence when he learned that a classmate, actress Aliza Rosen, had been accepted to the Nahal Army Entertainment Group. He auditioned for it and was accepted, performing all over the country alongside singer Arik Einstein and other members of the troupe, and was often directed by comedian Uri Zohar, with whom he and a long and often contentious relationship. He recalls that his father only saw him perform once and sent him a letter detailing his flaws. After his father’s sudden death, he wanted to drop out of the troupe, but was convinced by Zohar, who recognized his talent despite often needling him, to continue.
Following his discharge, he performed with several groups, including The Roosters, under the direction of Naomi Polani, the subject of another documentary in Docu.Text, and the Yarkon Bridge trio, where he sang with Einstein and Benny Amdursky. The nightclub and theatrical scene in Tel Aviv was very different from what the young Jerusalemite was used to, and seemed decadent to him. But Einstein thrived on it, and Gaon describes how this created a rift between the two men, and the trio broke up. Gaon went on to a stellar solo career, recording over 70 albums. Among the rare clips is a version of the comic “Masochism Tango,” by Tom Lehrer, in Hebrew.
He is also known as a popular actor, performing the lead role in the film version of the hit musical Kazablan, directed by Menahem Golan, in which he portrayed a Mizrahi gang leader in a tough Jerusalem neighborhood who falls for an Ashkenazi girl. While it might seem like typecasting, Gaon recalls feeling that the character was far removed from his early life among teachers and academics. When asked whether he was Ashkenazi or Sephardi, he recalls that he always liked to say, “I’m a Jew, don’t worry yourself about it.” Later, he played Yonatan Netanyahu, the leader of the military raid to free hostages held by terrorists in Entebbe, in Operation Thunderbolt, also directed by Golan, which was a huge success and received an Oscar nomination.
The documentary spends a great deal of time on Gaon’s movie Every Bastard a King, directed by Zohar, in which he played a pilot who tries to fly to Egypt on a peace mission, opposite Pier Angeli, an Italian actress who became a Hollywood star. He and Angeli had a romance, and Gaon says she was devastated when he wouldn’t marry her. Relieved after she left Israel, he said that after she died of a drug overdose a year later, he was told that her apartment was full of clippings and pictures of him, indicating she died of a broken heart over him. However, she had other relationships with actors, including James Dean, whom friends say she called the love of her life, and Kirk Douglas.
Young Israelis probably know Gaon best from his television roles on the sitcoms Krovim Krovim and Sabri Maranan.
The movie also features his marriage to Orna Goldfarb, whom he fell for when he was 37 and she was 17, and whom he wanted to marry immediately. They petitioned the Supreme Court for the right to marry, but ended up having to wait until she was 18. They had two children but divorced after a few years. Gaon says the marriage fell apart because he was so busy with his career, and their brief union was the subject of much gossip. He is also critical of himself as a father, saying he was not always there for his children when they needed him.
Gaon sang often at the request of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, and performed in Oslo when Rabin and then-foreign minister Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Yasser Arafat. He now says he made a mistake by taking part in this event and takes a dim view of attempts to make peace with Palestinians, saying Israel is engaged in a “religious war,” which drew loud applause from the audience.
Gaon concluded his brief remarks after the screening by saying, “I’m still very much here, very, very much… enjoying myself with you, becoming emotional with you… feeling I have been very privileged to be here.”