Hanna Aharoni

Hanna Aharoni was born in 1933 in Asmara

Hanna Aharoni was born in 1933 in Asmara, Eritrea, the third of 8 children of Mansour and Mazal, Jews from Yemen. In 1934 the family moved to the Land of Israel. She grew up in Kerem HaTeimanim in Tel Aviv and used her voice to draw shoppers to her father's vegetable stand in the Carmel Market.

In 1943 the composer Nahum Nardi discovered her, and she sang with him in concerts and on the radio. In 1948, after studying dance, voice and music, she joined Moshe Valin's theater Li La Lu. There she sang songs written for her by Moshe Wilensky, Natan Alterman and Yaakov Orland.

She served in the army in the Ilan troupe of the Golani Brigade, where Daniela Dor wrote the song "Shchora Ani ve Nava" for her. After her release she sang briefly with Emmanuel Zamir's band.

From 1956 she toured Europe and the Americas, and in 1960 she recorded an album of Israeli songs for Decca. She married the promoter Haim Tishman and settled in the United States, where she appeared on Ed Sullivan's program and hosted television in Mexico. In 1981 she received an award in Brazil.

From the 1980s she performed less but kept releasing records, many in Hebrew. She lives in New York and often visits Israel.