Celebrating Hanan Ben Ari on his 37th birthday: 10 things you didn't know about him

Hanan Ben Ari is one of the most prominent singers today. The man who sings raw lyrics about breakups and questions of faith has entered all our hearts. Today he celebrates his 37th birthday, so we’ve collated a list of ten things you didn’t know about him:

1. Hanan’s father, Hertzel Ben-Ari, was the head of the Karnei Shomron council and today manages the Company for the Restoration and Development of the Jewish Quarter.

2. Until recently, Hanan only used a kosher phone.

3. Before becoming an independent artist, Hanan served as the lead singer of the wedding band "Kolot"

4. Hanan and his (now ex-) wife Hadassa were writers for the newsletter "Olam Katan," and later became its first editors.

5. Hanan Ben Ari’s first single, "From You to Me," made it onto Galgalatz’s playlist and became a huge hit, reaching fourth place on the station’s weekly ranking and 34th on the annual chart for the year 5775.

6. A day before he was set to release his song "Ela Bi," a shooting attack occurred in Hadera, prompting Hanan to delay the song’s release by nine months.

7. A week into the Swords of Iron war, Hanan performed for soldiers, including the song Machshavot Tovot ("Good Thoughts"), to which he added his own lyrics: “We’ll avenge the vengeance of Be’eri, let’s take them apart, the people of Israel live, we’re returning to Gush Katif, playing beach volleyball, establishing the ‘Nova’ beach on Gaza’s shore.” His words were quoted by South Africa’s representative in a genocide complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

8. On December 12, 2023, Hanan became the first Israeli singer to perform inside Gaza during the war, giving a live performance for IDF soldiers.

9. Hanan’s paternal uncle is former Knesset member Michael Ben Ari, one of the founders of the Otzma Yehudit party.

10. Hanan wrote the song Aluf HaOlam ("World Champion") in one night at an isolated farm in the north. His friends didn’t think the song had any potential, but it became one of his biggest hits.