Yehoram Gaon

Yehoram Gaon (; born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, television and radio host, and public figure. He has also authored and edited works books on the culture of Israel.

Born in Jerusalem to Sephardic Jewish parents—his father of Bosnian descent and his mother of Turkish descent, both immigrants to Mandatory Palestine—Gaon became an early prominent figure representing Sephardic heritage in Israeli popular culture.

Early life Gaon was born in 1939 in Beit HaKerem, Jerusalem. where his family had lived for several generations, and worked as a schoolmaster and Hebrew teacher in Jerusalem, Buenos Aires, and İzmir.

Gaon has two children from his marriage to Orna Goldfarb, Moshe-David and Hila. In January 2026, Gaon remarried to Ella Lusa.

Media career

Singing In 1957, Gaon enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, where he joined Lehakat HaNahal, marking the beginning of his career in the performing arts.

Gaon was a member of the singing group HaTarnegolim ("The Roosters"), founded by Naomi Polani, from its establishment in 1960 until its disbandment in 1963. He subsequently helped form the Yarkon Bridge Trio, which he left in 1965. In 1969, he performed Ballad for the Medic, a song written by Dan Almagor and composed by Effi Netzer, at the Israel Song Festival, where he won first place and also took second place with another song written by Yoram Taharlev. Ballad for the Medic has remained controversial in Israel and is generally played only on Yom HaZikaron, at Netzer’s request.

Gaon became widely recognized for his rendition of Naomi Shemer’s Od Lo Ahavti Dai ("I Haven’t Loved Enough Yet"), which also served as the title track of his 1977 album featuring songs with themes of nature. In 1994, he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yasser Arafat in Oslo. thumb

Acting As an actor, Gaon appeared with the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv-Jaffa in productions including Chips with Everything, Vitzek, and Kinneret Kinneret by Nathan Alterman. In the early 1960s, he studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City under Uta Hagen and later graduated with honors from the RCA Institute for TV Production.

In 1977, Gaon portrayed Yonatan Netanyahu in the film Operation Thunderbolt. He has appeared in other films including Siege, Every Bastard a King, The Eagles Attack at Dawn, Joker, The Lover, and No-Way Street.

Gaon has acted in several television series, including Krovim Krovim (1983-1986), the first Israeli sitcom, and Mossad 101.

Hosting Gaon hosted the television program Shishi BeGaon ("Friday with Gaon") on Channel One and later a weekend talk show on Channel 2. Since 1997, he has hosted a weekly radio program, Gaon on the Radio (גאון ברדיו), on Kan Network Bet of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, where he discusses and comments on current events.

Gaon also served as moderator for the Israel Broadcasting Authority documentary series T’kuma'', produced for Israel’s 50th anniversary in 1998. He resigned from the project, citing disagreement with what he described as "overly biased pro-Arab views" of historical events and depictions of individuals involved in attacks against Israelis in the 1970s. Gaon with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in 2017. In the background is an Israeli artwork made of basalt ash. Political and civic career In 1993, Gaon was elected to the Jerusalem Municipal Council, where he held the portfolio for Cultural Affairs and Special Education Needs, In December 2010, he donated a collection of books to establish the Sarah Hakim Gaon Library for the Arkadash Association, in honor of his mother.

Political views Gaon has stated that halting the growth of Israeli settlements is not feasible. In 2017, he was chosen to light a torch at the Israeli Independence Day ceremony. In 2020, he received with the Yakir Yerushalayim award.