LIFE IN ISRAEL
CRISSIFIAN CADILLAC
1350 N. Woodward Ave.
Birmingham, Michigan
6441930
DAVID BIBER
Rivka Zohar Beats Addiction
And Returns To Life Of Music
r
NAT PERNICK
announces the relocation of his
Law Office
1
to the
Bingham Center
30800 Telegraph Road, Suite 2985
540-4550
• General practice
• Computer disputes and counseling
MARTEX
Sheets • Towels
• Comforters •
HOURS:
Mon., Tues. & Sat. 10-6
Wed., Th., Fri. 10-9
Sun. 12-5
ON SALE
SEVENTH HEAVEN
HUNTER'S SQUARE
ORCHARD LAKE at 14 MILE
855-3777
ciaa6
i
Ma/4Q.
THE TABLE SETTING
Mon., Tues., Wed., Sat.
10 - 5:30
Thurs., Fri.
10-9
BRIDAL
REGISTRY
335 E. MAPLE RD.
BIRMINGHAM
644-5750
LEASE
ZERO DOWN
DRIVE A
NEW 88 TOYOTA
CALL AND ASK FOR
JANICE RADOVICH
and I'll pay your
first monthly lease payment
and normal security deposit
282-8877
Leasee has no obligation to purchase vehicle at lease end, leasee may
have opt. to purchase at lease end at a price to be negotiated at lease
inception. Leasee is responsible for insurance, maintenance, excessive
wear and tear, excessive mileage, and 4% use tax and license fees.
36
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1988
RICK ISRAEL
R
emember that scene
in the movie Round
Midnight,"
asks
singer Rivka Zohar, "when
the jazz saxophone player
couldn't be trusted with the
money he earned playing a
gig, so his manager had to
keep it? For Ben Turner, it
was alcohol, for me it was
heroin. I still get chills think-
ing how low I was just a few
years ago."
Today, Israeli singerRivka
Zohar sits in her comfortable
ml Aviv apartment reflecting
on her five-year battle with
drug addiction in New York
City. She lives with a bemus-
ed sense of detachment from
a life that seems as distant
now as the miles that
separate Manhattan and Tel
Aviv.
"I was the classic skid row
addict. After my marriage
broke up, I lived in a seedy
hotel and hunted for food in
garbage bins. I remember fin-
ding a piece of dry bread and
soaking it in rainwater think-
ing, 'Well, everybody has to
suffer! Crazy. You know, I was
working at the time, singing
in night clubs just to support
my habit. Once I recall get-
ting $1,000 and turning it to
drugs within a day."
Rivka, a petite 39 year old,
exudes an energy and in-
nocence that contradicts her
recent past. Yet the pain is
undeniably there, especially
when she refers to other
musicians, still in New York
and still struggling with
drugs. "There is an incredible
Moroccan drummer who used
to play the Feenjon Club
where all the Israeli and Mid-
dle Eastern musicians hang
out. But he destroyed himself
with cocaine. It's very sad.
Just when the pressure is on
and you're singing every
night, it is so easy to rely on
drugs to keep you going. You
lose sight of the fact that it is
destroying you!'
Rivka Zohar captured the
imagination of the Israeli
public shortly after the Six-
Day War in 1967 when, at age
18, she performed a song
Hamevarech (The Blessed).
Both powerful and moving,
the song was one of soulful
mourning. "I think it spoke to
everyone's sensibilities at the
time," she said. "It asked us
to look at our country and
think about what we wanted
it to become."
Despite Rivka's 12 years of
living abroad, people con-
WZPS Photo by Rafi Mag nes
FINEST SERVICE
FAIREST PRICES
Rivka Zohar: Living as much from her senses as from her intellect.
tinue to stop her in the street
and ask, "How are you do-
ing?" or "Welcome home!'
"Actually, I think it has been
the most important part of
my rehabilitation," reveals
Rivka.
One of four children in a
family that for many genera-
tions was the only Jewish
family in the entire northern
Galilee village of Peki'in,
Rivka today admits to the
direct influence of the Arabic
rhythyms and language of the
village. It combined with her
own family's roots in the
traditional Jewish music
from the poetry and prayerful
melodies of religion. "My
grandparents, whom I
revered, were deeply religious
individuals. I can still recall
my grandfather's voice as
chazzan 'during Rosh
Hashanah. It was soaring and
rich and beautiful."
It was her grandmother,
Rivka admits, that was
always her inspiration and
may have, at one point, even
saved her life. "When I
entered Beth Israel Hospital
in New York, my doctor, Nomi
Nakao, didn't think my
chances of making it were too
good. I had contracted a viral
hepatitis from bad syringes
and my liver was functioning
at one-percent effectiveness.
Nomi, who was also a very
close friend, gave me a book
called The Growing Tree and .
a small crystal statuette of a
bird. She told me to hold it to
my liver; that it had always
brought her through difficult
times.
"I felt very close to death,
not knowing whether my
dream of my head resting on
a cold slab of stone was real
or not. Then a vision of my
grandmother came to me —
very powerful and real — and
she stayed with me through-
out the evening. I believe she
helped me pull through."
Rivka tells this story from
the perspective of one who
lives as much from her senses
as from her intellect. She
keeps the small crystal bird
and the book in the living
room among numerous tapes
and stacks of books. "Yes, I
have always had a strong
mystical outlook on life. I
remember being powerfully
moved by the writings of peo-
ple like Castenada and orien-
tal mystics. I think that sing-
ing must come from deep
within one's self, both in voice
and spirit!'
Today, Rivka is searching
through her music for an
honest connection with her
audiences. "I have always lov-
ed the music of Dylan and the
blues of Billie Holliday and
Bessie Smith because they
don't just sing but they open
themselves to their listeners!'
When Rivka decided to
return to Israel, three months
free of her drug dependency,
her visit was only to be a brief
stop to visit friends and
relatives and sing in a
children's musical festival in
Haifa. After 48 hours, she
decided to remain rather than
return to New York. "I think
I chose to sing a song at the
festival that fairly well
summed up my feelings about
Israel. The song was called
Haderech el Hakfar (The Way
to the Village), but for me it
was to mean a return home!'
At present, Rivka is
scheduled to play at
numerous festivals and con-