28 Facts About Yehoram Gaon

Yehoram Gaon is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure.

Yehoram Gaon has written and edited books on Israeli culture.

Yehoram Gaon's father, Moshe David Gaon, a historian, was born in Sarajevo, to a family of Sephardic Jewish descent in 1889, and immigrated to then British Mandate of Palestine, where members of his family had lived for five generations.

Yehoram Gaon was a school master and Hebrew teacher in Jerusalem, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in Izmir, Turkey.

Yehoram Gaon has two children from his marriage to Orna Goldfarb: Moshe-David and Hila.

Yehoram Gaon was in the original singing group "HaTarnegolim", founded in 1960 by Naomi Polani.

In 1969, Yehoram Gaon performed the polarizing "Ballad for the Medic", a song by Dan Almagor that was set to music by Effi Netzer a year prior.

Yehoram Gaon performed the song at the 1969 Israel Song Festival.

Yehoram Gaon would go on to win the festival's competition that year, while clinching second place with another song written by Yoram Taharlev.

Yehoram Gaon released the album of the same name in 1977, containing songs which on a lyrical level all touched on themes of nature.

Yehoram Gaon performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat in Oslo, in 1994.

In 2009, Yehoram Gaon recorded the song "Shir Ha'avoda Vehamlacha" for the organization Pioneers For A Cure, with the proceeds benefiting The Israel Cancer Association.

Yehoram Gaon left Israel in the early 1960s to study acting at the famous Herbert Berghof Studio in New York, under well-known acting teacher Uta Hagen, later graduating with honors from the RCA Institute for TV Production.

Yehoram Gaon returned to Israel to play the starring role in the 1966 stage production of the original Israeli musical comedy Kazablan, which became an immediate hit, and ran for more than 600 performances.

Yehoram Gaon was cast as Yonatan Netanyahu in the Israeli film Mivtza Yonatan.

Yehoram Gaon appeared in Siege, Every Bastard a King, The Eagles Attack at Dawn, Joker, The Lover, and No-Way Street.

Yehoram Gaon starred in several other TV series, including Krovim Krovim, an Israeli sitcom, and HaMidrasha.

Yehoram Gaon hosted his own TV show called Shishi BeGaon on Israeli Channel One.

Yehoram Gaon later hosted a weekend talk show on commercial Channel 2.

Yehoram Gaon moderated the Israel Broadcasting Authority documentary series for the Jubilee Year, entitled, T'kuma.

Yehoram Gaon is the honorary consul of Chile in Israel.

Yehoram Gaon serves as the president of the Arkadash association of the Turkish immigrants in Israel.

Yehoram Gaon is active in civic affairs, serving as a member of organizations that include the Committee for the Advancement of Ladino, Yad Ben-Zvi Fund for Diaspora Research, Adopt a Soldier Fund, The Association for Soldiers Welfare, The Association for Autistic Children, The Fund for Music Therapy and The Academy For the Hebrew Language.

Yehoram Gaon edited Spices from Spain, a collection of Ladino quotes passed down to him by his father, a well-known historian and proponent of Ladino.

Yehoram Gaon published a second edition of Eastern Jews in Israel, an encyclopedic work originally published by his father.

Yehoram Gaon wrote an autobiography in Hebrew titled Od Ani Pose'ah-Sipur Hayai, published in 2017 by Yedioth Ahronoth.

In 2004, Yehoram Gaon was awarded the Israel Prize, for Hebrew song.

In 2017 Yehoram Gaon was honored to light Independence Day torch.