Tzruya “Suki” Lahav, one of Israel’s best-known lyricists and a recipient of the ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award, died on Wednesday at age 74 after a battle with cancer, her son, Yonatan Albalak, announced in a Facebook post.
Lahav played a major role in shaping popular Israeli music across generations and wrote the lyrics for many songs that have become embedded in the country’s canon.
She worked with some of Israel’s best-known vocalists, especially Rita, and wrote classics including “Yemei Hatom” (“the days of innocence”) and “Shara Barkhovot” (“singing in the streets”) for Rita.
Further, Lahav wrote, “Perach” (“flower”) for Gidi Gov, with music by songwriter Yehuda Poliker, “Derech Hameshi” (“the silk road”) and “Na’amid P’nei Yetomim” (“we shall pretend we are orphans”) for Yehudit Ravitz, “Romeo” for Yehudit Tamir, and “Al Hagesher Hayashan” (“on the old bridge”) for Rami Kleinstein.
“Yesterday afternoon, my beloved and beautiful mother, Tzruya Lahav, was gathered into infinity after a short and difficult battle with that cursed disease,” Albalak wrote.
“She wrote songs that touched people’s hearts. She was a special woman – wise, pure of heart, and full of life. She was the best mother I could have asked for.”
Albalak added that, by the family’s decision, there would be no shiva mourning period and that the funeral would also be private.
Tzruya Lahav's varied career
Beyond music, Lahav had a varied artistic career. She served in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade’s entertainment troupe and, in the early 1970s, sang and played violin with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band in the United States.
Lahav then returned to Israel and played on Sof Onat Hatapuzim (“the end of the orange season”), the only album released by the iconic rock band Tamuz.
She later studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles and, after returning to Israel, appeared in several stage productions. In the early 1980s, she was also a member of the band Habrera Hativeet.
Lahav was also an acclaimed author and poet. Her debut book, Andre’s Wooden Clogs, won notable literary recognition. She wrote screenplays for children’s productions and composed a libretto for an opera. In recent years, she taught creative writing in Jerusalem.