Five years had passed since the dazzling victory of the Six-Day War.
The war continued to send waves of influence through Israeli reality: Jews from diverse communities immigrated to the Jewish state, which had proven its prowess to the world; tourists from across the globe arrived to witness the small nation that had achieved the unthinkable; a construction boom took hold across the country, the economy flourished, and the standard of living soared.
Within Israeli society, however, beneath the veneer of euphoria, unrest was stirring.
It was a society made up of immigrant groups from across the globe, Converged to build a new homeland for the Jewish people. Until the war, a relative sense of brotherhood had prevailed, bound by a shared existential dread. No one challenged the social norms established by the dominant groups; disputes were "swept under the rug" to preserve the fledgling state.
Once the existential fear lifted following the war, these latent conflicts surfaced. One after another, ideological and social questions sparked vibrant public debate: religion and state, the political divide between Left and Right, and the ethnic identity struggle between European Jews (Ashkenazim) and immigrants from Islamic lands (Mizrahim).
Amidst this, the IDF remained an island of near-absolute consensus.
As the "People’s Army," it was revered, and civilians embraced their soldiers. Uniformed personnel walked the streets with pride, receiving discounts and perks in public transport, in businesses, and at entertainment venues; Outstanding soldiers were invited to the President’s House, and the exceptionally brave were awarded citations for publicized acts of valor. Organizations held fundraisers "for the benefit of the IDF," and philanthropists donated everyday essentials to soldiers stationed on far-flung borders.
The IDF fortified its status as a cornerstone of Israeli existence.
Elite service in the military or intelligence branches guaranteed a seamless transition to civilian life: senior officers retired to promising careers in politics or in business world; journalists from the military radio station, Galei Tzahal, found direct paths to major media outlets; and the talented, charismatic stars of the military bands were released from military service and almost immediately found roles in theater or popular entertainment.
The entire nation was the army.
Most mainstream Israelis between the ages of 18 and 60 were intimately familiar with military life through compulsory service, career service, or reserve duty. Each of them had, one way or another, experienced a performance by a military band or an entertainment troupe—sometimes they were ordered to attend, sometimes they enjoyed the light entertainment the army provided to fill their leisure hours.
For a soldier serving in a remote outpost in the far reaches of the Sinai Peninsula, it was a pleasant surprise to see the celebrities of Israeli entertainment come to perform for them for free and so close, almost within touching distance.
This intimate atmosphere is vividly captured in the video below, which shows the Artillery Corps Band performing for a small group of soldiers, with virtually no barriers between them:
The Artillery Corps Band performing the era’s greatest hit: "Flowers in the Barrel" (Perachim BaKane)
To watch and listen on YouTube
click here or on the image
Between 1969 and 1972, the IDF military bands established an unrivaled status within the Israeli music industry.
Roughly one-third of the songs on the hit parades were performed by military bands or entertainment teams. Devoted listeners, who followed the rankings religiously, could identify exactly which ensemble was behind a hit—be it the Nahal Band, the Navy Band, Central Command, or one of the smaller teams.
Casual listeners, however, didn't delve into such specifics; for them, the generic label "Military Band" was enough. Indeed, the proliferation of musical ensembles within the army during those years was so vast that tracking individual units became nearly impossible. The brand itself had become synonymous with success.
A full-scale industry grew around these bands. Lyricists,
composers, musical arrangers, directors, choreographers and everyone involved in preparing the bands' programs and shows elevated their professional reputations.
Record sales for the most popular bands skyrocketed—from a pre-war average of 2,000 copies to 10,000 or more. These were figures any other artist could only envy.
Local record labels were hired to produce these albums, investing in professional recordings and massive marketing campaigns. Costs were typically recouped immediately upon release, yielding handsome profits. To further capitalize on this success, songs were often repackaged into compilation albums released during peak holiday seasons, purchased in droves by Israelis for home listening or as festive gifts.
The only real 'rivals for the spotlight' were the bands' own former members—young singers who completed their service and became idols for teenagers.
Leading impresarios signed these rising talents while they were still in uniform, ensuring they were integrated into the civilian entertainment industry the moment they were discharged.
Hundreds of band members bounced from performance to performance—from remote outposts to urban cultural halls, from kibbutz dining rooms to Independence Day stages. Their year-round schedule was guaranteed, a level of job security that artists worldwide could only dream of.
The bands starred on radio programs and were given special airtime on Israeli television. Under the wing of their military patrons—senior officers who took personal pride in "their" units—every new program was launched with a high-profile "premiere," attended by the press and VIP guests.
It was an ongoing flirtation between the military and civilian spheres.
The songs and the comedic sketches between them focused on the Israeli experience, while remaining firmly within a military framework. They sang about "secret" units like Shaked or Haruv, praised the frontline outposts, and romanticized the Nahal settlements in the Sinai. They reminded Israelis of the courage of the armored corps, the paratroopers, the parachute riggers, and the air force pilots.
It was easy to identify with these military myths; Easy to hum the catchy melodies…
It was all So easy and catchy, so accessible, so nationalistic, and so patriotic—that the bands eventually exhausted what they had to offer the Israeli ear.
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Playlist of Military Band songs 1971-1973
To watch and listen on YouTube
click here or on the image.
By 1973, the military band phenomenon reached an all-time high.
17 different troupes were operating simultaneously. Some produced lavish programs with unlimited budgets; there was a sense that each troupe was competing against the next in terms of choreography, direction, and, of course, securing a spot on the hit parades.
However, by that same year, the bands appeared to be treading water. They were no longer able to provide fresh or innovative musical material.
The music industry began to evolve in new directions. Israeli music was enriched by a variety of styles—some influenced by international trends, others giving voice to the different ethnic groups and sectors within Israeli society, such as Mizrahi and Hasidic music. This shift was also reflected in the lyrics, which took on a more personal tone and moved away from nationalistic themes. More and more soloists, duos, and trios were introducing compelling new sounds to the market.
Yet, the producers didn't realize that the times were passing them by. Their troupes continued to perform songs written by poets and lyricists of the older generation, such as Haim Hefer, Haim Gouri, Tchernichovsky, and Natan Alterman. They sang of the idyllic "Beautiful Israel" and its landscapes, of pioneering heritage and biblical figures, of Herzl and the Zionist Congress—and of the familiar Archetypesof the tankist, the artilleryman, and the The unit’s girl-clerk
The Israeli ear had grown weary of this unchanging format—the same vocal harmonies performed by the same lineups of uniformed young men and women. The themes had become worn and felt like clichés. Not even the grandiose productions, modern arrangements, electric instruments, or unique rhythms could hide the fact that it was all too "easy," too catchy, and too nationalistic.
The entire industry turned its gaze toward a younger generation seeking new thrills. They found them in the admiration of young, charismatic, and "current" stars—some former members of the bands and others who were not. These were the artists who broke both fashion and musical barriers: Kaveret (Poogy), Tsvika Pick, Shalom Hanoch, and others.
(Image/Video) Caption: 1972 – One of the final programs of the Nahal Band: "Palnachnik." Produced during the peak years of the military bands, it marked the summit from which the only way left was down.
1972 – One of the final programs of the Nahal Band: "Palnachnik." Produced during the peak years of the military bands, it marked the summit from which the only way left was down.
to watch in YouTube click here
In October 1973, the harshest of all wars since the establishment of the State of Israel broke out. The military bands were already on their sunset path, with little to offer the fighters on the front lines or the home front.
About this and more—at the next station on the journey into the ethos, in the next chapter:
The Yom Kippur War – The End of Euphoria and the Road to Decline
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: