Israeli Lyricist And Poet Tzruya 'Suki' Lahav Dies At 74
Key keywords: Tzruya 'Suki' Lahav, Israeli lyricist, Israeli poet, 74, Hebrew songwriting, Eurovision 1978, Israeli cultural icon, Israeli music legacy, A-Ba-Ni-Bi, Israeli cultural heritage
Tzruya “Suki” Lahav, one of Israel’s most celebrated and influential lyricists and poets, passed away on October 17, 2023 at the age of 74 following a three-year battle with cancer, her family confirmed in an official public statement. With a career spanning more than five decades, Lahav left an indelible mark on Israeli cultural life, penning over 1,000 songs across genres ranging from folk, pop, and rock to children’s music and wartime memorial tracks that have become embedded in the collective memory of generations of Israelis.
Lahav rose to global fame in 1978 when she wrote the lyrics for “A-Ba-Ni-Bi”, the upbeat disco track performed by Izhar Cohen and Alphabeta that won Israel its first ever Eurovision Song Contest title. The win marked a historic turning point for Israeli representation in global pop culture, and the song remains a beloved staple at Eurovision viewing parties and Israeli cultural events worldwide to this day. Beyond her Eurovision success, Lahav collaborated with nearly every major Israeli music artist of the past half century, including Shlomo Artzi, Nurit Galron, and Yehoram Gaon, turning everyday moments of love, grief, community, and national identity into evocative, accessible Hebrew lyrics that resonated with audiences across age groups and political divides.
A published poet with four critically acclaimed collections to her name, Lahav was awarded the Israeli Ministry of Culture Lifetime Achievement Award for Music in 2018, in recognition of her unparalleled contribution to Hebrew cultural production. Tributes have poured in from across Israel’s cultural and political spheres since news of her death broke, with the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport issuing a statement calling Lahav “a pillar of Israeli creativity, whose work soundtracked every major moment of our national story for the past 50 years.” Fellow artists and fans alike have shared memories of her warmth, her dedication to her craft, and her commitment to using language as a tool to unite communities. Lahav is survived by her husband, two children, and three grandchildren, as well as a catalog of work that will continue to shape Israeli culture for decades to come.
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As a third-generation Israeli, I grew up singing Suki’s children’s songs in kindergarten, and now I sing the same ones to my own kids. Her lyrics felt like they were written for every single one of us, like she knew exactly what it felt like to be home here. The whole country is grieving this loss, but her work will never die.
I had the honor of collaborating with Suki on a track for my 2019 album, and I was blown away by how she could turn a throwaway comment I made about missing my grandmother into a lyric that felt universal. She was a genius with words, and one of the kindest people I ever met in this industry. Rest in peace, legend.
As a researcher of Israeli cultural history, Suki’s discography is one of the most valuable primary sources we have for tracking social shifts in Israel from the 1970s to today. She wrote about everything from wartime grief to teenage romance to the joy of small Shabbat dinners, and every line felt authentic. Her passing is an enormous loss for global Hebrew cultural studies.
I’ve been a Eurovision fan for 20 years, and A-Ba-Ni-Bi is still one of my all-time favorite winning tracks. It’s so full of joy and energy, and I had no idea until recently how much more amazing work Suki created for her home country. Sending love to her family and all her fans in Israel.