Chapter One: Summary
Israel’s Military Bands: A Brief History
Israel’s military bands were formed in the early years of the state, shortly after the establishment of the country’s formal armed forces—the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
From that point on, and for nearly four decades, they played a defining role in shaping the Israeli musical landscape. They contributed roughly 1,400 songs to the national soundtrack—joyful songs and mournful ones, patriotic anthems and protest songs; from military marches to rock-and-roll, samba, waltz, and tango. Their music blended pop, jazz, Hasidic, and Middle Eastern influences with Italian and Greek rhythms—a remarkably wide range of styles and musical worlds.
The bands and their music expressed the unique bond in Israel between civilian and military life—a connection singular to a nation where the leading narrative was "The People’s Army," where every citizen is also a soldier. As a country surrounded by enemies, forced to "live by the sword" for its very survival, war is an inseparable part of the daily reality for its citizens.
The bands flourished primarily in the periods between wars, reaching their peak between the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War (1967–1973). During this era, the musical canon known as "Zemer Ivri" (Classic Hebrew Song) took shape, with the military bands serving as its primary contributors. These songs were broadcast everywhere: on radio and television, at state ceremonies, and at private family events. They accompanied—and continue to accompany—the Israeli experience, forming an integral part of the national soundtrack.
"Following the Tracks"
-Performed by the Armored Corps Military Band.-
a canonical song dedicated to the brotherhood of tank crews and the close bond "between man and man, and between man and the steel machine."
In Israeli history, the title "Israel’s Military Bands" represents an extraordinary cultural phenomenon.
While the basic format of a military band existed in other countries—primarily to boost soldier morale—in Israel, the story was different. It began within the military, but quickly overflowed into civilian life, gaining a reputation and public status unparalleled in the history of other nations.
To understand this phenomenon, one must realize it consisted of dozens of separate entertainment units.
Each band was established as a full-fledged military unit. Its members—young men and women aged 18 to 21—served in compulsory military service, wore uniforms, and belonged to a specific branch or command within the army. Each ensemble carried a distinct name reflecting its affiliation, such as the Northern Command Band, the Armored Corps Band, and others.
Over the years, numerous such "military bands" were formed; they operated as independent entities with no direct organizational link between them, other than their shared format. Each troupe consisted of 10 to 15 actors, singers, and musicians whose military duty was defined by army orders: to perform for IDF troops and raise morale.
Each entertainment unit operated as a permanent framework with rotating lineups - When one group completed its compulsory service and was discharged, a new ensemble of freshly recruited soldiers immediately took its place. Every lineup created its own unique stage production, combining theatrical sketches with original songs written especially for that band.
The bands performed their programs for soldiers across the country: on IDF bases, at training facilities, and at forward outposts along the borders. Wherever they arrived, a guaranteed audience of soldiers gathered to watch. It was a "captive audience," attending either voluntarily or by order as part of the military routine—even if some were not particularly fond of the music or simply not in the mood for an hour of entertainment.
As their popularity grew, the bands were increasingly invited to perform in civilian settings. When their songs captured the public’s imagination, records were produced, and their music became a staple of Israeli life—broadcast on the radio, played at public ceremonies, and heard in every private home.
Over the years, approximately thirty different military bands were formed.
In total, hundreds of soldiers served in them, finding an outstanding "school" for music and theater. Upon completing their service, they could add a prestigious line to their résumé: "Service in a Military Band"—a credential highly regarded by theater and film directors, producers, and talent agents. For many, this was a natural bridge to a professional career in the entertainment industry.
The bands maintained a guaranteed, year-round performance schedule—working conditions that any artist, in Israel or abroad, would envy. While many of Israel’s most famous singers and stage performers today started out in these units, others moved on to different fields, becoming influential public figures across Israeli society.
Esther Hayut
Former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, who served as a member of the IDF Central Command Band in her youth
Shlomo Artzi
One of Israel’s most popular singer-songwriters, who began his career in the IDF Navy Band.
Israel's military bands are an inseparable part of the national story.
The music became the soundtrack for millions of Israelis of all backgrounds—Ashkenazi and Mizrahi, religious and secular—all belonging to the Zionist mainstream of Israeli society.
The bands became a unique brand of popular entertainment—a symbol of the "Sabra" identity in its youthful. They were a source of pride, "Made in the IDF." Just like the Uzi submachine gun, elite fighter pilots, or naval commandos whose names were whispered with admiration, the military bands were symbols of excellence.
This brand did not emerge overnight.
It gathered momentum through the wars that erupted nearly every decade. As the ensembles expanded, the IDF recruited the country’s finest lyricists, composers, and choreographers. Each song was professionally recorded, and record companies competed fiercely in tenders for the production rights, knowing that a military band album guaranteed higher profits than almost any other artist.
At their peak, the military bands were the default choice for national television, state ceremonies, and Independence Day celebrations.
A tribute evening celebrating the songs of Israel’s military bands across the generations, held at the Ein Gev Festival in 2025.
Click here to watch and listen on YouTube.
The ethos of the military bands represents a distinct era in the life of the Israeli nation—an era of a socialist society in the making.
It was a society taking shape amid the mass immigration of Jews from all over the world, a society that had to provide basic means of subsistence for all and to create a shared culture and a stable way of life. These were national tasks.
To fulfill these tasks, the ruling establishment and those who shaped its path fostered brands that sustained the civilian infrastructure: the kibbutzim and moshavim in agriculture; companies and organizations that became household names in other sectors of the economy and society—Solel Boneh and Shikun Ovdim in construction; El Al in aviation; ZIM in maritime shipping; Tnuva in the dairy industry; along with many other symbols and brands that became an integral part of the local experience since Israel’s declaration of independence.
These brands were granted a privileged status. They operated under state patronage, funded by public resources and supported through allocations made in the name of national interest, as shaped by the leaders who set the national course.
The same was true of the military bands.
Senior figures in the defense establishment enlisted the bands as partners in the creation of myths, ceremonies, and symbols designed to express and instill the new Israeli nationalism.
Once the bands gained widespread public popularity, they were allocated resources and budgets—almost without limit.
Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir with members of the IDF Nahal Band, 1972
Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion with members of the IDF Nahal Band, 1960
The military bands’ prominence was tied to the strength and reputation of the Israel Defense Forces.
They reached their cultural zenith after the stunning victory in the Six-Day War, when feelings of pride and elation swept Israeli society into euphoria, elevating the IDF to an almost mythic status. The bands, whose members were soldiers in uniform, rode those waves of euphoria.
In 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke out, shattering Israeli society.
The war came as a surprise from enemy states, and the Israeli army was caught unprepared. Despite the heavy blow the IDF suffered, its commanders managed to recover, largely thanks to the “Israeli spirit” that mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists, reinforced the forces, and repelled the enemy armies.
The narrative of “The People’s Army” proved itself in those days, but the euphoria faded, and the break was inevitable — the number of dead and wounded, counted in the thousands, shook the public’s faith in the army’s power and strength.
After four wars that exhausted the Israeli public, and the societal upheaval that followed, the military bands began to decline, and their ethos gradually faded.
A few years later, in 1977, the Mahapach took place and the ruling establishment fell.
The election results that year brought a new right-wing coalition to power, whose leadership was not committed to the socialist ideology of its predecessors. Soon after taking office, they began privatizing national assets — economic and cultural alike. The old brands and symbols became outdated, lost their authority and status, and the markets opened increasingly to anyone who had something to offer in any field, including music and entertainment.
The defense establishment took note of the changes.
The Chief of Staff and senior officers in the General Staff understood that the bands had grown disproportionately, inside a bubble, exceeding the framework for which they were originally created. They dismantled the expanded band structure. In place of dozens of separate military units, a single official military entertainment ensemble was established: the IDF Choir. This was a formal musical unit that performed at military and state ceremonies, without civilian pretensions — a military band like those in other armies, as it had been in Israel’s early years.
Later, in the 1980s, attempts were made to revive the original bands in separate formations, with new original songs recorded and released. However, success never returned.
By then, the Israeli music industry had moved on entirely.
It had become richer, more diverse, with a wide range of creators and styles. Its audience no longer paused for the return of the singing soldiers and regarded their songs as a niche genre from a bygone era. Some even dismissed them as excessively patriotic.
The “revived” military bands could not shed the image of their predecessors and remained on the shelves of history and nostalgia, surrounded by all the songs of the genre labeled “Hebrew songs.”
Years passed, and the bands’ glow dimmed, though they never disappeared entirely from the military landscape.
Since the 1990s, the IDF has continued to maintain military bands and stage ensembles, and still does so today (2023).
However, these lack the aura and national ethos that the bands of the past carried. Their musical output is absorbed into the vast ocean of Israel’s entertainment industry.
Songs from IDF military bands across the decades
Click here to listen to the playlist on YouTube.
The story of the military bands has been told in countless newspaper articles, radio and television programs, blogs, podcasts, and websites in Israel and around the world. In academia, entire doctoral theses have been devoted to them.
Looking back across the years, one can begin to summarize all that has been written and place it along the historical timeline of Israeli society, from the founding of the state up to its 75th anniversary.
"A Musical Journey Through the Ethos" is a story of music and wars, of an army and a nation that came together to create the “People’s Army.”
And the soundtrack? The music of the military bands.
It all begins slightly before the state was founded, with a few young people who loved singing together around a campfire...
We’ll meet them in the next chapter:
This is a chapter from the musical monograph on Israel’s IDF military bands—an extraordinary cultural phenomenon that flourished between the wars and shaped the music and culture of Israel for over 40 years.
The full monograph spans eight separate chapters, including an introduction, summary, and table of contents. You can explore the complete series by clicking the link below:
Research, Writing, and Editing: Shlomi Rosenfeld
