Naomi Polani wins the Israel Prize/Tsiloo: Ministry of Information
Public figures and cultural figures paid tribute to director, choreographer and Israeli award winner Naomi Polani, who passed away this morning (Monday) at the age of 96.
Her relative Gidi Gov paid tribute to her in a conversation with Walla! Tarbut: "It's a big pain. As she defined it, 'I'm already attracted to 97 so we should see each other.' And what do you sing in Hebrew. The music in the 50s and 60s would not have been the same. It was wonderful. The movement of Noa says 'Eshkol!' Cluster, right. Muni Fe reminds me of everything.
"I made with her the record 'Songs of Youth Movements' with Eric Lavi, Ilana Rubina, Rivka Zohar and Hanan Yuval, produced by her good friend Dalia Gutman. Each rehearsal was four hours, of which three hours were just talking, chatting and laughing. She would make up names for people .She was funny, full of humor, very smart and sharp-minded. She was never afraid to talk about what she wanted."
"Besides, she was family," adds Gov. "She was my father's cousin. My father died when I was seven years old. I know from the stories that they loved each other very much. We had the chance to visit her in recent years, and even with her oxygen device she was funny, wonderful, smart and clear. Very special. An incredibly fundamental part of our musical culture."
The country's president, Yitzhak (Boji) Herzog, paid tribute to Polani: "Naomi Polani, the winner of the Israel Prize, who was called the 'Queen of Military Bands', left us this morning at the age of 96. We will remember with love and appreciation the founding mother of the unforgettable chicken band and who contributed with her immense talent For the development of the original Israeli culture. Thanks to her, the music of many of us was shaped. May her memory be blessed."
Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar gave a eulogy: "I was sorry to hear about the passing of the wife of the military bands and the bride of the Israel Prize, the late Naomi Polani. Naomi has served for decades as the face of the Israeli stage world, and has been a significant and influential part of Israeli culture and creativity from its beginnings until today. The energy and passion for the stage that characterized her will be remembered forever. Her name and work reached every home in Israel, crossed generations and reached every home in Israel. Her legacy and her path were burned forever in the hall of honor of Israeli culture, may her memory be blessed"
The Israel Artists Association stated that it "bows its head upon learning of the death of the late Israel Prize winner Naomi Polani." The chairman of the AM, Yona Elian Keshet, said: "Much has been said about Naomi Polani during her lifetime, and much will be said now after her death And it's still hard to put into words her character and the scope of her contribution to our culture - a strong, groundbreaking, sharp, funny and uncompromising woman. Generations of creators owe their careers to her either directly or indirectly thanks to the tremendous impact her cultural work has had over so many years. R.I.P".
Naomi Polani was born on August 4, 1927 in Tel Aviv. After finishing her studies at the Herzliya Gymnasium, she joined the Palmach and during the War of Liberation she was one of the stars of the Palmach band, the Chizbetron. Polani was married to singer and actor Lior Yeni. The two have two children.
After the war of liberation, Polani started acting in the Chamber Theater and studied music. In the fifties she became the director of the military bands. She worked with the Northern Command Band, the Armored Forces Band, and the Nahal Band. Her work with the military bands perpetuated a special style of performance: the body movements of the dancers expressed the meaning of the lyrics with the help of acting and pantomime
. The Rooster Band The band's repertoire consisted of IDF band songs, other familiar songs and new and original material. Polani divided the band's programs into different themes and chose songs based on those themes. The Roosters broke up in 1963.
After the disbandment of the Roosters, Polani founded in 1966 the group of Hammitzes which consisted of four members of the Roosters, but the band did not have much success. Polani later worked as a music lab at Kol Israel and was involved in learning music and directing various events in her area of residence in the Jordan Valley. In 1998, as part of the Israel Festival, she staged the show "The Roosters Return", which was a novelty of the songs of the Roosters performed by young singers.
In 2001 she received the Moshe Halevi Award for Performing Arts from the Municipality of Tel Aviv. In 2006 Polani played in Oded Davidoff's film, "Someone to Run With". A year later, she received the Acomm Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2009, when she was 82 years old, she acted in the play "Little Iolf" by Henrik Ibsen at the Theater. In 2019, she won the Israel Award in the field of performing arts: theater and dance.