HaYehudim

The band's first album, Metziut Nifredet (Hebrew: מציאות נפרדת, Separate Reality) was released in 1995 through Hed Arzi Music. Several music videos from the album were often played on Israeli television, but not on the radio and initially the album sold poorly. However the band continued playing live shows all over Israel, gaining a cult following. The debut album went gold in 1998, and later on achieved double platinum.

The second album, self-titled HaYehudim and released in 1998, and was an immediate success despite continuing disregard from mainstream media, making HaYehudim one of the leading rock bands in Israel. This album, too, attained gold status.

In 1999 Hayehudim were elected as Band of the Year on Galey Tzahal, Israel's national radio station. The same year, they opened the Metallica concert in Israel, and in 2000 the band opened the Rage Against the Machine concert in Israel as well.

Four years after their second album, Hayehudim released a third studio album by the name of Pahad Mavet (Hebrew: פחד מוות, Fear of Death) in 2002. The next year Hayehudim released their first live album - a double CD and DVD set named Hayhudim LIVE. The live album was a great success and the following year the band released a second live album, this time of an unplugged show.

In 2007 Hayehudim released their fourth studio album, Forte (Hebrew: פורטה). In musicology, the term forte means loud or strong, and the name was chosen because if you hadn't had enough of Hayehudim till now, you're about to get Hayehudim forte (meaning Hayehudim extra-strong, as Tom Petrover explained in a radio interview). The album went gold, and won Album of the Year in the Israeli Music Channel awards.

In 2015 the band released their latest album Yoter Lo (Hebrew: יותר לא, No More).

The name 'HaYehudim', literally meaning The Jews, was proposed to the band by Eldad Ziv, an Israeli theatre director and musician, and by Roy Zu-Arets, the music producer who produced the band's debut album Metziut Nifredet.[3] Despite being a provocative name the band's members liked it and decided to use it.

All of the band's albums came out in times of instability in Israel, which was reflected in the dark and heavy music and lyrics. Their debut album Metziut Nifredet came out just a few months before Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, in August of 1995, while the political discourse in Israel was heavily polarized regarding The Oslo Accords. The following self-titled album came out in 1998. The late 90's in Israel saw many major terror attacks and fear was rampant in day-to-day life. Their 3rd albun, Pahad Mavet, released in 2002, during the second Intifada (just after Operation Defensive Shield) when the Israeli Defence Forces faced many casualties in attempt to quell uprisings in the West Bank. The 4th album Forte came out in 2007, following The second Lebanon War and the next album Yoter Lo was released and even delayed due to Operation Protective Edge. Both of which had the army entering southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip respectively in response to attacks and terror activities carried out from these regions.

Current members

• Tom Petrover - guitar, vocals
• Orit Shachaf - lead vocals, backing guitar
• Yahav Lipinski - drums
• Zak Soulam - guitar
• Greg Pearl - bass
• Eran Mitleman - keyboards

Former members

• Avi Yifrach - bass
• Smulik Bogdov - guitar
• Asher Pedi - drums
• Elad Keren - bass
• Yiftach Shachaf - guitar
• Eitan Veksler - guitar
• Avi Strool - bass
• Roy Zu-Arets - keyboards
• Daniel Brecher - guitar
• Adam Peri - keyboards
• Guy Be’er - guitar

• Official website
• HaYehudim on Myspace
• HaYehudim on Facebook
• HaYehudim at MOOMA (in Hebrew)