Rabbi Gerald Raiskin first became acquainted with the music of Yaffa Yarkoni in the early 1940s, when his brother burst through the door of their Brooklyn home with a rare treasure in his hands — an LP from pre-state Israel.
Plopping the record on their new phonograph, the Raiskin boys sat and listened to Yarkoni’s album all night long.
“We were thrilled to be able to have this kind of music in our house,” recalled Raiskin, the spiritual leader at Burlingame’s Peninsula Temple Sholom for the last 45 years. “We sat listening to it, trying to learn all the words we could. No. 1, she has a beautiful voice and No. 2, the songs themselves were nice melodies and you could easily learn them. There weren’t many records from Palestine available in the U.S. at that time.”
Almost six decades later, Raiskin will finally be able to meet Yarkoni in person, as the singer known throughout her homeland simply as “Yaffa” will hold a benefit concert at Raiskin’s temple on Saturday night, Oct. 6. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Jewish National Fund’s reservoir-building campaign in the Negev.
For many Israelis, Yarkoni’s whispery voice is intertwined with memories of Israel Independence Day, when loudspeakers echoed her songs throughout city streets as citizens joyously danced below. Born in 1925 in pre-state Israel, Yarkoni served in the Givati Brigade in the War of Independence and also sang in the army choral troupe. Her concerts for Israeli troops during the nation’s many conflicts earned her the title “The Voice of Israel’s Wars.”
“Every Israeli knows at least 10 or 20 of her songs, even children. She did a lot of songs for children,” said Doron Nesher, the JNF’s emissary to Northern California. “She has recorded over 1,000 songs and I don’t even know how many records. Around the War of Independence, she became the national singer of Israel.”
Nesher, a former Israel Defense Force entertainer and Israeli television comedian, first met Yarkoni when he was hosting a Friday night comedy program. Coincidentally, his best friend from the army later married one of Yarkoni’s three daughters. Nesher, who convinced the singer to hold several JNF fund-raisers in the United States, describes her as a breathtaking performer, even in her mid-70s.
“She handles the audience as if they were in her hand,” he said with a laugh. “If you see her now on stage, it’s amazing the way she stands up there and performs. She still sings for about two hours, even at 75.”
Nesher likens her popularity in Israel to Frank Sinatra’s, and compares her to Lena Horne. The legendary performer was awarded the Israel Prize in 1998, on the country’s 50th anniversary.
Raiskin hopes to attract several hundred people to Peninsula Temple Sholom and raise as much as $10,000 for the JNF. With more than 6 million in the Jewish state, Nesher points out that Israel is supporting 12 times its 1948 population from the same water sources. He described Israel’s water crisis as “urgent.”
For Raiskin, hosting the concert is a way to move beyond mere expressions of solidarity.
“I felt we not only have to have solidarity meetings about Israel, but we have to do something,” he said. “Standing in solidarity is good, but what are we doing?”
Yaffa Yarkoni will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Peninsula Temple Sholom, 1655 Sebastian Drive, Burlingame. $36 for reserved seating and private reception with Yarkoni at 6:3 p.m; $20 general admission. Information: (650) 697-2266.