Rika Zaraï – born Rika Gozman in Jerusalem on February 19, 1938 – was an Israeli singer and writer. She achieved great success with her musical repertoire which included classic Middle Eastern music and traditional pop standards. She studied at the Jerusalem Music Conservatory and won first prize in piano. When she served her mandatory military service, she became a music producer, presenting the musical Cinq sur cinq (1956), which was performed at the Grand Theater of Israel. Zaraï moved to Paris, France in 1960 and met Bel Air Records owner Eddie Barclay. She signed with the label and released a series of hit singles sung in different languages including Hebrew, French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German. Her hits on Bel Air included “Hava Nagila”, “L'Olivier”, “Exodus”, “Tournez manèges”, “Elle était si jolie” and “Michaël”. Her career evolved throughout the decade and by 1969, she was having hits with tracks like “Casatschok” and “Alors je chante”. A serious car accident on November 9, 1969 left her in a coma. She was able to return to her career after a long rehabilitation, releasing the single “Balapapa” as her official comeback in 1970. She continued to release a series of hits including the popular “Sans chemise, sans pantalon” in 1975. She put her music career on hold with the release of her book Ma Médecine naturelle in 1985. The book became very controversial and she was eventually charged with illegal practice of medicine in 1989. She resumed her career, but was less prolific. She published her autobiography – L’Espérance a toujours raison - in 2006. Zaraï suffered a stroke on July 3, 2008. Twelve years later, in February 2020, she made her last public appearance performing at the Folies Bergère in Paris. Rika Zaraï died on December 23, 2020 at the age of 82.
