Zohar Argov

Zohar Argov (Hebrew: זוהר ארגוב, born זוהר עורקבי, Zohar Orkabi, July 16, 1955 – November 6, 1987) was an Israeli singer. A distinctive voice in the Mizrahi music scene, Argov is widely known in Israel as "The king of Mizrahi music". However, he remains a divisive figure in Israeli culture due to his rape conviction and charges, though opinions on if he committed rape or not is divided as well. Zohar Argov was born in Rishon LeZion, Israel, to Ovadia and Yona Orkabi, Jewish parents who immigrated from Yemen. He was the eldest of ten children. He displayed a talent for singing in childhood, and his classmates nicknamed him "nightingale". All his siblings also displayed an interest in music. As a result of Argov's disinterest in any aspect of school except music, which was exacerbated by his family's financial problems, he dropped out of school at age 14 to work at a construction company. In 1972, he married a neighbour, Bracha Tzabari, and a year later, she gave birth to their son Gili. Argov's father Ovadia, with whom he had had a stormy relationship over the latter's authoritarianism and alcoholism, died on the day of Gili's bris. Gili would later follow in his footsteps and become a singer as well. Due to his family situation, he was exempted from mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces.