She met Abi Ofarim, a guitarist and dancer, in 1959 and subsequently married him. With her husband and without him she began to sing Hebrew and international folk songs.
In 1960 Esther got a small role in the film Exodus. In 1961 Esther won the Song Festival in Tel Aviv, where she sang "Saeni imcha bemachol" and "Neama". Two years later, Esther made the 2nd place at the Eurovision Song Contest with "T'en vas pas", representing Switzerland.
From then on, her duo with her then husband Abi Ofarim began take off. In 1966 they had their first hit in Germany with "Noch einen Tanz". Their greatest success in Germany was "Morning of my Life" in 1967, which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 the Ofarims had their international breakthrough with "Cinderella Rockefella", which hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK. They played many live concerts in New York and London, and in 1969 they toured around the world.
As result of problems in both business, and personal relations, they divorced in 1970 [1] (in German).
Esther started her solo career with several albums and concerts. In 1984 she played in Joshua Sobol's piece "Ghetto", produced by Peter Zadek in Berlin (Germany). There she sang some songs, including "Frühling" and "Unter deinen weissen Sternen". The play was extremely successful, which was attributed in part to Esther's strong presence.
Since 1998, Esther Ofarim has been performing several concerts each year, especially in Israel and Germany. This includes annual concerts in the Hamburger Kammerspiele.
Ofarim's songs were prominently featured in the 2004 Israeli film, Walk on Water.
Yudke
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ravtza hapluga bamishlat hameubak
Veruach shel stav bashamayim hesia
Kirei ananim uvalev machnak.
Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit
Bezemer bezemer bezemer yachid,
Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit
Baka az hazemer alah ufashat
Mitai'l el tai'l sharim ve'onim
Yada hamishlat veyada kol echad
Zeh Yudkeh dofek nigunim.
[...]
Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit
Bezemer bezemer bezemer yachid,
Leveta hivkia nigun mapuchit
Bezemer bezemer bezemer yachid.
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's song Yudke speak of a man named Yudke who appears to be going through a difficult time. The opening lines translate to "Let's remember long, winding days, a lot of pain in the twisted cords, and the autumn wind in the sky - scattered clouds and a heavy heart." These lines set up a sense of nostalgia and melancholy.
The following lines speak of a melody that Yudke hears, represented by the phrase "Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit" which translates to "Suddenly, a melancholy melody cried out." This melody seems to be a comfort to him amidst his struggles, and he listens to it with rapt attention. The song describes how Yudke's heart is lifted by the music he hears, and how it brings him some solace.
Line by Line Meaning
Nizkor eich yamim arukim kesharsheret
Let us remember long gone days like a chain.
Ravtza hapluga bamishlat hameubak
The gap is stretching in the fragile envelope.
Veruach shel stav bashamayim hesia
And the cold wind in the sky silenced.
Kirei ananim uvalev machnak.
The clouds are torn apart, and our heart is sad.
Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit
At times, a simple melody is sobbing.
Bezemer bezemer bezemer yachid,
With a note by note, by note alone.
Baka az hazemer alah ufashat
And then the melody breaks out, rises and spreads.
Mitai'l el tai'l sharim ve'onim
From mound to mound, the notes rise and fall.
Yada hamishlat veyada kol echad
The melody knows the structure, and each one knows.
Zeh Yudkeh dofek nigunim.
This is Yudke, beating melodies.
Lefeta hivkia nigun mapuchit
At times, a simple melody is sobbing.
Bezemer bezemer bezemer yachid,
With a note by note, by note alone.
Contributed by Grace R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@1archfan
In memory of all the children who perished in the Holocaust!
@arcar66
and all the innocents dying in Ukrania now in 2022.
@joshr9546
@@arcar66 Don’t compare the holocaust to Ukraine
@dreadfulspiller8766
@@joshr9546 The had their own genocide aka the Holodomor..
@waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3
@@joshr9546 when did they do that
@kostaad
@@arcar66 1. Ukraine - not Ukrania. 2. This is a song from the holocaust, that in huge part happened in Ukraine, by Ukranians. Germans used to say that with such hatred as Ukranians felt for the jews their job is just giving them dull knives, they will do the rest.
@trifon65
Эту песню пела мне моя бабушка, когда я не мог уснуть. Слёзы сами собой текут.
@worldofaction4225
Are you russian jew ??
@user-ld2rf3ht9z
@@worldofaction4225 я тоже русская еврейка, ленинградка, мне много лет, не знаю ни языка, ни традиций. Но чувствую все еврейское, для меня это дорого. Горжусь своим народом, а уж таким народом гордиться нетрудно. Родители знали идиш, мама любила еврейские песни, но тогда так редко их можно было слышать в СССР. А семья сына 20 лет живет в Израиле, внук взрослый тоже там.
@user-wu7se3cp7n
Какая чудесная песня. Нежная, тихая. грустная. Посмотрел на фотографии маленьких детей. Спокойные, открытые . милые лица. Их уже нет на земле. И мое детство удаляется безвозвратно все дальше....