In the framework of the many election campaigns that we have experienced in the last decades, the senior politicians, who wanted to always compare to themselves as easy and unbuttoned, tried their luck many times in singing. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them can’t sing, which created a series of jarring but memorable moments. “On the way to the polling station”, third article in the series.
Yair Lapid
As someone who comes from the world of entertainment, is friends with many artists and even wrote several songs, during his previous career the prime minister demonstrated his poor singing skills on many occasions. For example, in 1995, during the period when he was presenting “Close the Week” on Channel One, he performed Samir Shukri’s “Rona”:
The politician Lapid, on the other hand, demonstrated his singing and playing skills immediately after the 2013 elections, when at the party organized by Yesh Atid on the occasion of its impressive achievement (19 mandates) he performed With A Little Help From My Friends by the Beatles:
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Benjamin Netanyahu
The head of the opposition has also tried his hand at singing over the years. In 1995, when he was a guest on Dan Shilon’s special programs for Independence Day, he was asked, alongside his rival at the time, Shimon Peres, to sing with Ofra Haza (and Shilon himself) Eric Einstein’s classic, “I and you”:
A quarter of a century has passed, and during the 2021 election campaign, Netanyahu recorded a revival of another Eric Einstein classic, “I Have Love”, again alongside a popular singer – Eden Ben Zaken. It didn’t help him much, and after the elections he lost the prime ministership after 12 years.
Benny Gantz
The Minister of Defense and Chairman of Blue and White declares himself to be a fan of singing in public. This became evident during his tenure as Chief of Staff, when every year on Independence Day, in the traditional event where the country’s top officials sing alongside the best Israeli singers, he stood out in his performances. In 2019, when he was already a politician, Gantz was recorded alongside the former minister, Tzipi Livni, singing “Shir for Peace” at an event of the “Parliament of the Valley”.
Avigdor Lieberman
The finance minister and chairman of Yisrael Beitenu has many skills, but unfortunately, singing is not one of them. That is why in 2016 he “deserved” to star in a viral segment: during a gathering of Yisrael Beitenu, Lieberman sang the national anthem, and deviated so much from the tune that it Sounds like a completely different song, which has had many amusing variations.
Ayelet Shaked
In 2021, the Minister of the Interior and Yamina chairman joined a campaign against violence against women, in which many female politicians and celebrities performed a song on the subject together. An important and sacred goal by all accounts, and yet, the video of Shaked faking it in the recording studio became an instant viral sensation:
Naftali Bennett
Although the former prime minister is not running in the upcoming elections, it is hard to forget his appearance at the right-wing rally before the 2015 elections in Rabin Square, when he pulled out a guitar and performed Naomi Shemer’s song, “Jerusalem of Gold”.