Ofra Haza - interview from 1997

[@KingTriton1837]

She has a smile that could brighten up even the stormiest of days.

[@SoLalbUs]

So sad, she was so full of life and joy, she should've lived and lived on sharing farther her beautiful voice. This is one of those cases where I do get a knot in my throat when I see videos about this person or hear her music. Thanks for sharing the video. I hope that everyone has a happy new year. Regards.

[@bustycougar7412]

Ofra would have been 60 this year I just watched her 1983 Eurovision entry and her voice is amazing why did a great lady die so young at 42 her husband has a lot to answer for ? 😢

[@eaalders628]

Well he's dead too

[@freemind450]

E Aalders How u know ? Do u know his name ?

[@eurech]

@@freemind450 Yeah his name was Doron Ashkenazi and he died in 2001 of drug abuse. It's no secret.

[@giorgosfylaktou2610]

​@@eurech THEY SAY IT WAS KARMA PUNISHED HIM FOR INFECTING AND EVENTUALLY KILLING HIS WIFE OFRA HAZA WITH AIDS. I DIDN'T SHED A TEAR FOR HIM. ON THE CONTRARY I REALLY CRIED HEARING OFRA HAZA'S DEATH.

[@strikezone6498]

she never really wanted to marry Doron, but usually as you age you get questions and pressure from well-meaning family members who want to see you settled down and happy. unfortunately a wrong choice was made after much persuasion by some from her family that "all her great success was nothing compared to the fact she was almost forty and still single".

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

her sister shuly is very stupid

[@ILOVEMFEO]

@@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח shalom from Brussels. You are probably right but it’s a strong cultural component… I mean, no matter what your talents or achievements, if you are not a housewife with husband and at least one male offspring, socially you are a failure, even bringing shame on your family. Pity that she died so young. But sometimes you need to die to live for ever.

[@KNJGSY]

Ofra was a gorgeous and lovely woman and a singer of unimaginably exceptional talent and skill. What a dreadful waste that she married Ashkenazy and was dead three years later. I do find it difficult that she manages to praise him here, without even the blink of an eye ! Perhaps, all the more to admire Ofra for.

[@freemind450]

RIP Angel Ofra Arabs people loved u

[@mrhcl6kerson1783]

She was an Arab jew (Yemeni) who loved her people and loved peace , taken from us way too soon .

[@KNJGSY]

So strong can be the wish for a relationship to work out, and so convincing some people can be, that a person's judgement can be badly clouded when emotions are high. We often see only what we want to see. Ofra also put her faith in God see things right in the end.

[@Problembeing]

That marriage was the death of her. Beyond tragic.

[@3876118358]

gran cantante israeli, fabulosa voz, tengo todos sus videos!

[@marprades1796]

so sad..ofra is so sweet rip

[@empireentertainmentevents1353]

sad that 3 years after this interview she passed away :-(

[@JoMarieM]

It's kind of sad watching this - she looks so happy and she's saying how wonderful Doron is. . .and then he turned out to be such a beast and wound up killing her. Still an interesting find, though.

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

she was sn artist. she knew he made her sick.

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

it was her secret

[@swallowsea889]

Now i know that the world is round and why i have been loving her instinctly always whithout asking, thank you tomeriko for this!

[@JadeDAngelo]

She is so sweet here.

[@lenek6876]

I would like to share a little story with you all.As a baby/toddler i had bad sleeping problems(still do )then one day my mum noticed i hated silence so she would sit me next to the washing machine etc and one day i was maybe 3?we had a radio that picked up Foreign stations.Ofra Haza came on and for the 1st night in years i went to sleep!.I am 40 now,learned more about this lady is it true-her husband more or less gave her AIDS?oh lord.Her voice was so strong yet angelic.At peace Ofra.

[@strikezone6498]

yes it was in December 1997, 5 months after her marriage.

[@intothesun00]

@KibaFanable The entire album, Kol Haneshama, is beautiful. My definite favorite of Ofra's. I highly recommend it.

[@rafvrab]

@Problembeing Beyond tragic indeed. Very very sad.

[@holdencaulfield79]

The old generation has a yemenite dialect ('Im nin alu'). The new generation can pronounce some letters in hebrew differently - in a yemenite accent, others don't. Ofra didn't have an accent, her parents did. They were from the old generation.

[@OceanBlue82]

This was just 2 years and 2/3 months before her death, how sad?!!

[@holdencaulfield79]

There is no "mainstream hebrew dialect". Ofra spoke simply hebrew in this interview. Regurding her music, some of the songs were a mix of hebrew and yemenite dialect - like Im Nin Alu Others were in arabic and english - like galbi. Galbi is an arabic poem, written by the 17th century Yemenite Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. This poem was the base for galbi the song by ofra Most of them were in hebrew language - like gavriel.

[@strikezone6498]

from what i've learned, Ofra's father did not like Doron, neither did her manager Bezalel Aloni. her sister Shuli persuaded Ofra to get married, her family wanted to see her settled down. in the end it might be her own decision. who would know if she was really happy or not?

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

shecwas very sad. she knew she become very sick and without the ability to have children.but she didn't talke about her own tragedy. i think that no one knew he was a bad guy axcept his mother.every one was very happy during her waidding.

[@shamusmercieca8394]

But she liked him

[@z24ampahar]

Ofra Haza made a mistake of delaying her marriage for a very long time..Maybe,the pressure from her family+the fear of "remaining single without bearing kids" could have made her fall in love with that criminal. She should have married in her mid 20s..there would have been thousands of "better guys" who would have taken care of her like an angel and also help her career Now she would be enjoying abundance happiness in heaven.so,there is happiness behind the pain..

[@BrianRamos714]

Well think about it too she traveled alot like she said in the interview so it would of been hard for her to find anyone she was really focused on her career but idk too much about the aids situation idk if there is proof about him giving it to her or she had a blood transfusion that he talked it could of been a variety of things i hope the guy didnt give it to her cause that would of been really cruel

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

it was a great mistake and she pretent to be happy with this criminal and his criminal family

[@ברכהברנשטיין-ר6ח]

she made us very unhappy .now it is not a sicret that her husband was abad guy.

[@aymarafan7669]

Mossad hit?

[@alisacaney4338]

Allah rahmet eylesin. Cok tatlı bir insanmış

[@rafvrab]

@luvyaalex Not only an irony. The man betrayed her trust in the most stupid, even criminal way.

[@mourningleaves]

Okay, I see. Listened to 'Gavriel' now. She does not pronounce the shevas like in the old Shechunat Hatikvah clips, which are yemenite dialect or arabic. But in 'Gavriel' she still rolls her 'R's (like in spanish), but in the interview here, she pronounces 'R' in the 'normal' way (like french) That is what I was talking about.

[@Sugarcoma5718]

@sobefobik no...if she contracted the HIV virus by this time ,that is what she would have had...HIV is the virus that turns into AIDS when your immune system is jeopardized, Tcell count drops to dangerously low levels and full blow AIDS occurs. antiviral meds would have helped her..she could have lived with HIV

[@DULCE5428]

exelent ofra haza tov meot yom iomuledeth sameaj

[@intothesun00]

@KibaFanable Le'orech Hayam. One of my most favorite songs of her's.

[@KibaFanable]

@intothesun00 Okay:) I had heard it for some months ago, and it`s so beautiful:)

[@soheiljerusalem]

Anyone can tell me why this great talented lady died so soon at the age of 43?

[@mrhcl6kerson1783]

The main story is that her husband infected her with HIV and later she died from aids , but to this day nobody really knows the whole truth, we only know she was murdered. Absolutely heartbreaking ending for such a legend.

[@aymarafan7669]

@@mrhcl6kerson1783Mossad…. PERES missing Yemeni children….

[@mrhcl6kerson1783]

@@aymarafan7669 the missing Yemeni children affair is real , but the murder of Ofra being related to it is just a conspiracy theory.

[@aymarafan7669]

@@mrhcl6kerson1783 I sure hope that it is.

[@dromycatcher]

who said she was pressured into the marriage? I find it hard to believe. She did seem happy on her wedding day. If her father didn't like Doron, then I don't think she was pressured into it.

[@holdencaulfield79]

you can read more about it in wikipedia under: Yemenite Hebrew pronunciation

[@holdencaulfield79]

She rolls her 'R's in gavriel because it's the the style of her singing that particular song, I belive. She had no reason to have rolling R's when she sopke. that would be strange and funny :)

[@aymarafan7669]

I deeply am starting to wonder if Shimon Peres matched these the two.

[@mourningleaves]

Thanks. So noone rolls the R's in daily speech? Not even Yemenites or Mizrahi? The dialect from 'Im nin alu' is not spoken at all? Well that's what I meant by 'mainstream Hebrew dialect'. The dialect most commonly spoken in Israel. (Sephardi with Ashkenazi inluence)

[@juanmiguelsanchezamat8753]

SHALOM

[@KibaFanable]

Which song does she sing?

[@z24ampahar]

@niyaazkhan shut up...she was an angel..

[@ninameyer5960]

I Israel if you are not married by 26 you are considered an old maid. Very unfortunate for her . He was pressured her with the questions about marriage what is not right !

[@penir]

יאיר: את קנאית??? עפרה: לא למה שאני אהיה קנאית, אין לי על מה לקנא.אני בוטחת בו מאה אחוז. יאיר: חמישה חודשים, חכי מה... עפרה: לא לא! זה בסדר. יאיר: אי אפשר לדעת.

[@z24ampahar]

From this interview,Its clear that she was deeply(madly??)in love with that criminal bastard..And she even thanks God for that..(Oh my God!!) Her godfather Aloni was wise enough to understand that fellow and severely warned Ofra..And guess what..Love blinded her!!..A charismatic girl falling in love with a bastard..Cruel,isn't it? Without mincing words,Ofra haza paid the price for being stupid,innocent and naive..And the pain of losing an angel will always be there!!

[@marie5644]

z24ampahar...true words what you say....:((so sorry...destiny...

[@Problembeing]

@Doomshark3 How I wish it wasn't :(

[@noryk6237]

0:19 Ofra's "works" or facts sound as criminal charges from her enemies more than great accomplishments and that's probably what cost her life.

[@MonsterMunchAreAce]

Someone should make a movie or something about her life with just the facts , I know there is a big complicated story behind her life and death and she has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard but I don't know if I should love her or hate her,was she a Zionist or just a woman trying to live her life ? I hate Zionists but it would be a terrible mistake to wrongly label her as one.

[@mourningleaves]

I don't speak hebrew, but to me it sounds like she spoke in the mainstream hebrew dialect here, and not the yemenite dialect she usually sang in. Am i right?

[@penir]

בבעלה.

[@adamabagina]

כל כך מקסימה. למה דווקא היא אלוהים למה..

[@penir]

יאיר: את קנאית??? עפרה: לא למה שאני אהיה קנאית, אין לי על מה לקנא.אני בוטחת בו מאה אחוז. יאיר: חמישה חודשים, חכי מה... לא לא! זה בסדר. יאיר: אי אפשר לדעת.

[@Soso23301]

is she a muslim or wt ?

[@Rina25tir]

Jewish.

[@aymarafan7669]

Aged so bad

[@Wildrover82]

She was stunning.

[@aymarafan7669]

@@Wildrover82she was indeed just saying it aged bad because died by her husband shortly after this.