Esther Gamlielit

Gamlielit was born on 13 March 1919 in Egypt to Yemenite-Jewish parents who were en route to Palestine.[1] After arriving, they settled in the Neve Tzedek quarter of Tel Aviv and later moved to the Yemenite Quarter.[2]

At 16, she joined the Biblical Ballet, a dance studio mostly consisting of Yemenite Jewish women which blended Yemenite dance steps with biblical themes.[1] She gained notoriety as a singer through Biblical Ballet, eventually appearing on the British Mandate established radio station Kol Yerushalayim.[3] Gamlielit later joined Ha-Matate, a satirical theater. While with Matate, she was part of a trio with Shmuel Rodensky and Jacob Timen.

After a performance in Nes Ziyyonah she met Avigdor Yosippon, who was on guard duty. They fell in love and got married one week later.[1] Her marriage led to her retiring at 22, although she would make occasional one-time appearances. In 1960, she was invited by Dahn Ben-Amotz to perform in a nostalgia show on artists of the Yishuv. In 1994, she was widowed from Avigdor.

In 2000, she produced a non-commercial album, with seventeen original recordings of her songs. She died on 17 September 2012 and was buried in Kiryat Tiv'on.[4]