Singer and songwriter Ester Shamir dies at 71 after battle with cancer

Ester Shamir, the singer and songwriter who helped pave the way for female rock in Israel, has died at the age of 71. Shamir released eight studio albums, including “In the Lowest Place in Tel Aviv” (1982), “Strong Card” (1984) and “Until the End” (1987), and wrote songs for dozens of artists, among them Gali Atari, Yehudit Ravitz, Rita and Yehuda Poliker. In July 2025, she spoke in an interview about her struggle with cancer.

Her partner, musician Ofer Weintraub, said, “Our beloved Esterchuk left us in calm and peace. Uri played her ‘I Did the Best I Could’, she blinked her eyes and took her last breath.”

Shamir began her musical career in the Nahal Entertainment Troupe, where she served as a soloist. During joint performances by the Nahal troupe and the Kaveret band in the Yom Kippur War, she met Ephraim Shamir, who became her husband and artistic partner. In the fall of 1975, her first song for radio, “I Passed Only to See,” was released, with lyrics by her and music and arrangement by Ephraim Shamir. In 1977, the two participated as backing performers in Arik Einstein’s show “People Love to Sing,” which was also recorded on an album of the same name, and in December of that year their joint album “Ephraim and Ester Shamir” was released.

In 1979, Shamir appeared with Yehonatan Geffen in the program “They Call It Happiness,” a satire on relations between men and women, for which she contributed the cynical and feminist song “One-Night Man,” composed by Miki Gavrielov. Her first solo album, “In the Lowest Place in Tel Aviv” (1981), was a breakthrough in female rock in Israel, both in terms of content and production. Until then, Shamir sang in a high, delicate voice, and from this album she also began to sing in a deeper, rougher voice. The title track became a hit, alongside “A Thin Rope” and “I Don’t Want to Talk About It Now.” The album’s songs were arranged by Eitan Gidron of Tamuz, and the musical production was by Louie להב. That same year, she wrote and composed “Forbidden Covenant” for Shlomo Artzi and sang it as a duet with him on his album “Place.”

In 1984, her second album, “Strong Card,” was released, from which “Jungle Rhythm,” “A Moment of Balance,” “Talk to Me” and the title track became popular. In 1985, she published a poetry book, “One Step Before the River,” from which songs were composed and performed by Gali Atari, Yehudit Ravitz and Yehuda Poliker. In 1986, she wrote and composed the political song “Mid-September” against the backdrop of the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon, for Gali Atari’s fourth solo album, which was named after the song.

Her third album, “Until the End” (1987), produced hits such as “We Are in the Same Boat” and “The Train Has Already Passed the Station,” but did not achieve commercial success. Her fourth album, “Living Together in Love” (1988), included “A Moment Before the Storm,” which was banned from radio play because of its sharp lyrics, written under the influence of the events of the First Intifada.

Alongside her career as a performer, Shamir wrote songs for many singers, sometimes lyrics only and sometimes both lyrics and music. Among her best-known songs for others are “Stronger Than the Wind” and “The Day After” for Gali Atari, “Time” and “Time Station” for Rita, “Barefoot Girl” and “Ice Palace” for Yordana Arzi, “Broken Picture” for Moni Arnon, and “Worried About You” for Dani Sanderson. Throughout the years, she continued to perform in clubs and at events as a singer-songwriter, accompanying herself on guitar.

After “Living Together in Love,” Shamir took a break from music. In 1996, following the Western Wall Tunnel riots, she recorded the protest song “End of September” as a one-time release. In 2003, 15 years after her previous album, she released “Because of the People I Love,” from which “Fireflies” became especially popular. In 2010, her songs were revived in new performances: Dana International performed “In the Lowest Place in Tel Aviv,” Tomer Yosef performed “I Passed Only to See,” and Eyal Golan covered “Broken Picture,” which achieved great success.

In 2011, she released her sixth album, “It’s Between You and God,” produced by Yonatan Levi, after which she returned to the stage. In 2017, the album “The Night Love Won” was released. In 2023, she received a special award from the ACUM board of directors for her contribution to Israeli music and culture. After the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, she wrote songs responding to the events, including “Back Home,” released for the hostages, and “A Candle for the Lookouts,” composed by Amiran Dvir and performed by Arkady Duchin. In January 2025, she released a prayer song for the return of the hostages, “One More Breath,” and published her book “War Notes,” based on songs and notes she had written about the war since October 2023.