Esther Ofarim

Esther Ofarim was born in 1941 in Safed

Esther Zaied was born in Safed in 1941 to a family with roots in Aleppo, Syria, and grew up in Haifa. She sang folk songs as a child and studied drama with Peter Frye. Her younger brother is the musician Noam Halevi.

She met Abi Ofarim, a dancer and guitarist, at his dance studio in Haifa and married him in 1958. Her army service ended after their marriage. She had a small role in the film Exodus and acted at the Habima Theatre in 1960.

In 1961 she won an Israeli song festival, and in 1962 she placed second at the Sopot festival in Poland. The couple moved to Geneva, and in 1963 she represented Switzerland at Eurovision and placed second after a change in the Norwegian votes. With Abi she toured Europe and the United States and had hits such as "Cinderella Rockefella".

The duo split in 1969, and the divorce was finalized in 1970. She went on with a solo career, singing in many languages, and had her own BBC television special. In 1984 she acted in Joshua Sobol's play Ghetto in Berlin.

She later married Philipp von Sell, and their son David was born in New York in 1983. The couple later divorced.