Israeli poet Haim Hefer dies

Israel Prize laureate songwriter Haim Hefer died Tuesday at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv. He was 86.

Hefer wrote hundreds of Israeli classics during a prolific career that spanned seven decades, including classic songs like “Hafinjan,” and the lyrics for the musical “Kazablan” and the 1964 film classic “Salah Shabati.”

Hefer immigrated to Israel with his family from Poland in 1936. He fought in the Palmach from 1943, helping smuggle immigrants via Syria and Lebanon to pre-state Palestine. In 1948, he founded the Palmach’s musical troupe Chizbatron.

He worked with many of Israel’s foremost songwriters and artists, especially in the early decades of the state.

Hefer, who is survived by his wife Ruti Haramati and their daughter, won the Israel Prize in 1983 for his contribution to Israeli culture. His funeral was to be held at the Ein Hod cemetery on Wednesday.