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{{short description|Israeli Orthodox Jewish singer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ofir Ben Shitrit
| name = Ofir Ben Shitrit
| image = אופיר בן שטרית (15812384079).jpg
| image = אופיר בן שטרית (15812384079).jpg
| image_upright =
| image_upright =
| image_size =
| image_size =
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt =
| caption = Ben Shitrit in 2014
| caption =
| background = solo_singer
| native_name = אופיר בן שטרית
| native_name = אופיר בן שטרית
| native_name_lang = Hebrew
| native_name_lang = he
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1995}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|12|20|df=yes}}{{efn|27 Kislev 5756 in the [[Hebrew calendar]].}}
| birth_place =
| birth_place =
| origin =
| origin = [[Nir Galim]], [[Israel]]
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date first) -->
| death_place =
| genre =
| genre =
| occupation =
| occupation = Singer
| instrument =
| instrument =
| years_active = 2013–present
| years_active = 2013–present
| label =
| label =
| associated_acts =
| associated_acts =
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} or {{Official URL}} -->
| website = https://ofirbs95.wixsite.com/ofirbenshitrit
}}
}}
'''Ofir Ben Shitrit''' ({{lang-he|אופיר בן שטרית}}; born 20 December 1995) is an Israeli [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] singer. She came to prominence in 2013 as a contestant on the reality singing competition ''[[The Voice Israel season 2|The Voice Israel]]''. She received additional media attention due to her religious background, which led to controversy and opposition in her Orthodox Jewish religious community. She launched her professional singing career in 2013, performing Hebrew, English, Arabic and Spanish songs and covers.


==Early life and education ==
'''Ofir Ben Shitrit''' ({{lang-he-n|אופיר בן שטרית}}) is an [[Israel|Israeli]] [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] singer
⚫
Ben Shitrit was born to a religious [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] family in 1995.<ref name=tab>{{cite web |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/123818/an-orthodox-star-is-born|title=An Orthodox Star is Born|first=Liel|last=Lebovitz|date=11 February 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]}}</ref><ref name=elicia/> Her parents, Avram and Odelia Ben Shitrit, are of [[Moroccan Jewish]] descent.<ref>[https://www.gov.il/he/departments/news/arab_jewish_event סיכום אירוע לציון היציאה והגירוש של היהודים מארצות ערב ומאיראן]</ref><ref name=elicia/> She has three siblings.<ref name=elicia/> The family resides in the religious [[moshav]] of [[Nir Galim]], Israel.<ref name=elicia/>


Ben Shitrit enjoyed singing from a young age.<ref name=elicia/> She began writing her own songs at age 11, and won her school's annual singing contest for six years in a row.<ref name=elicia/>
==Life and Career==
⚫
Ofir Ben Shitrit was born to an [[Orthodox Jewish]] family in 1995.<ref name=tab>{{cite web |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/123818/an-orthodox-star-is-born|title=An Orthodox Star is Born|first=Liel|last=Lebovitz|date=11 February 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]}}</ref><ref name=elicia/> Her parents, Avram and Odelia Ben Shitrit, are [[Mizrahi Jews]] from [[Morocco]].<ref>[https://www.gov.il/he/departments/news/arab_jewish_event סיכום אירוע לציון היציאה והגירוש של היהודים מארצות ערב ומאיראן
</ref><ref name=elicia/> She has three siblings.<ref name=elicia/> The family lives on the religious [[moshav]] of [[Nir Galim]].<ref name=elicia/>


Ben Shitrit enjoyed singing from a young age.<ref name=elicia/> She began writing her own songs at age 11, and won her school's annual singing context for six years in a row.<ref name=elicia/> She enrolled at the [[ulpana]] (religious girl's high school) in [[Ashdod]].<ref name=ulpana>{{cite web |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/11/ART2/430/864.html|title=אולפן או אולפנה: כוכבת "דה וויס" הושעתה מהלימודים|language=Hebrew|trans-title=Studio or Ulpana: Star of 'The Voice' Suspended from School|first=Omri|last=Maniv|date=22 January 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[Makor Rishon]]}}</ref>
She enrolled at the [[ulpana]] (religious girl's high school) in [[Ashdod]], Israel.<ref name=ulpana>{{cite web |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/11/ART2/430/864.html|title=אולפן או אולפנה: כוכבת "דה וויס" הושעתה מהלימודים|language=he|trans-title=Studio or Ulpana: Star of 'The Voice' Suspended from School|first=Omri|last=Maniv|date=22 January 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[Makor Rishon]]}}</ref> Shitrit graduated from her ulpana in spring 2013.<ref name=forward/> She signed up for a year of [[Sherut Leumi]] (National Service),<ref name=elicia/> after which she planned to study music in university.<ref name=forward/> As of 2016 she was studying music at the [[Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance]],<ref name=ynet/> receiving her bachelor's degree
in music in 2018.


==''The Voice Israel''==
==''The Voice Israel''==
Line 41: Line 39:
|salign=right
|salign=right
|quote=I think the [[Torah]] wants us to be happy. It wants music to make people happy. I think you can combine Torah and music, and this is why I chose to come on the show.
|quote=I think the [[Torah]] wants us to be happy. It wants music to make people happy. I think you can combine Torah and music, and this is why I chose to come on the show.
|source=–Ofir Ben Shitrit, appearing on ''[[The Voice Israel (season 2)|The Voice Israel]]''<ref name=tab/>
|source=–Ofir Ben Shitrit, appearing on ''[[The Voice Israel season 2|The Voice Israel]]''<ref name=tab/>
}}
}}
In fall 2012, Ben Shitrit's aunt brought her to an audition for ''[[The Voice Israel (season 2)|The Voice Israel]]''. Though she didn't prepare in advance, she qualified for a slot on the season 2 debut.<ref name=elicia/> In January 2013, the seventeen-year-old<ref name=elicia>{{cite web |url= http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-sound-and-the-fury/|title=The Sound and the Fury|first=Elicia|last=Brown|date=17 December 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[The Jewish Week|The New York Jewish Week]]}}</ref> 12th-grader<ref name=Jessica>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/school-suspends-religious-the-voice-contestant/|title=School bans religious 'Voice' contestant|first=Jessica|last=Steinberg|date=25 January 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref> appeared as one of 50 contestants on the show.<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit's performance of [[Ofra Haza]]'s ''Od Mechaka La'Echad'' ("Still Waiting for the One") won plaudits from the celebrity judges, and she chose [[Aviv Gefen]] to be her mentor.<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit shook Gefen's hand to seal the deal.<ref name=tab/>
In fall 2012, Ben Shitrit's aunt brought her to an audition for ''[[The Voice Israel season 2|The Voice Israel]]''. Though she didn't prepare in advance, she qualified for a slot on the season 2 debut.<ref name=elicia/> In January 2013, the seventeen-year-old<ref name=elicia>{{cite web |url= http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-sound-and-the-fury/|title=The Sound and the Fury|first=Elicia|last=Brown|date=17 December 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[The Jewish Week|The New York Jewish Week]]}}</ref> 12th-grader<ref name=Jessica>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/school-suspends-religious-the-voice-contestant/|title=School bans religious 'Voice' contestant|first=Jessica|last=Steinberg|date=25 January 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref> appeared as one of 50 contestants on the show.<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit's performance of [[Ofra Haza]]'s ''Od Mechaka La'Echad'' ("Still Waiting for the One") won plaudits from the celebrity judges, and she chose [[Aviv Gefen]] to be her mentor.<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit shook Gefen's hand to seal the deal.<ref name=tab/>


The response from Ben Shitrit's ulpana was swift in coming. The school suspended her for two weeks for "flout[ing] the stricture forbidding religious women to sing in public and the prohibition against touching members of the opposite sex".<ref name=tab/> The school also ordered Ben Shitrit to take classes in Judaism.<ref name=ulpana/> Since [[Ministry of Education (Israel)|Ministry of Education]] regulations do not allow a school to suspend a student for appearing on a television show, the school asked Ben Shitrit's parents to initiate the penalty.<ref name=ulpana/> Ben Shitrit's mother told ''[[Maariv (newspaper)|Maariv]]'': "This is a punishment that we took upon ourselves, so that the girls in the institution will see that we will do something with the child".<ref name=ulpana/>
The response from Ben Shitrit's ulpana was swift in coming. As [[Tzniut#Orthodox Judaism|women singing in front of men]] and [[Negiah|handshaking between genders]] are forbidden by [[Halakha|rabbinic law]], the school suspended her for two weeks.<ref name=tab/> The school also ordered Ben Shitrit to take classes in Judaism.<ref name=ulpana/> Since [[Ministry of Education (Israel)|Ministry of Education]] regulations do not allow a school to suspend a student for appearing on a television show, the school asked Ben Shitrit's parents to initiate the penalty.<ref name=ulpana/> Ben Shitrit's mother told ''[[Maariv (newspaper)|Maariv]]'': "This is a punishment that we took upon ourselves, so that the girls in the institution will see that we will do something with the child".<ref name=ulpana/>


⚫
Ben Shitrit accepted the suspension, saying, "I understood that what I did was against the spirit of the ulpana, and didn't want to create an opening for other girls to do the same. The punishment is symbolic".<ref name=tab/> In later interviews, she pushed back against the [[Halakha|rabbinic law]] prohibiting [[Tzniut#Orthodox Judaism|women singing in front of men]], saying she thought it was more about modesty than an outright ban on singing. "I feel like there is no problem to sing in public as long as I do so in a modest way, not a provocative way, as long as I'm doing it with a pure intention", she said.<ref name=elicia/>
As [[Tzniut#Orthodox Judaism|women singing in front of men]] and [[Negiah|handshaking between genders]] are forbidden by [[Halakha|rabbinic law]], she was suspended from her [[ulpana]] (religious girls' high school) in [[Ashdod]] for a period of two weeks. She was hailed as a "heroine" and an "Orthodox feminist" by [[Religious Zionism|Religious Zionist]] and progressive Jewish groups. The incident underscored the dichotomy in Israel between traditional Jews who wish to be part of secular society while maintaining their religious observance, and [[Haredi Judaism|strictly Orthodox Jews]] who adhere to a strict interpretation of rabbinic law and rejection of secular culture.


⚫
Ben Shitrit was viewed as a "heroine" by traditional Israeli Jews who wish to be part of secular society while maintaining their religious observance.<ref name=tab/><ref name=forward>{{cite web |url=https://forward.com/sisterhood/188652/q-and-a-orthodox-singing-sensation-ofir-ben-shitr/|title=Q&A: Orthodox Singing Sensation Ofir Ben Shitrit|first=Renee|last=Ghert-Zand|date=3 December 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[The Forward]]}}</ref> One commentator dubbed her "the religious [[Rosa Parks]]", noting that she had become "an icon and a figure for thousands of girls who look at you and see the fulfillment of their dreams in poetry, dance and theater", as well as "a symbol of the collision between the binding law of God (so to speak) and the realization of freedom and creativity".<ref name=rosa>{{cite web |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/11/ART2/434/984.html?hp=11&cat=1107&loc=0|title=את כבר לא רק אופיר בן שטרית|language=he|trans-title=You Are No Longer Just Ofir Ben shitrit|first=Avinoam|last=Hersh|date=8 February 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=Makor Rishon}}</ref> Ben Shitrit received support from Minister of Education [[Naftali Bennett]], a Religious Zionist himself, who praised her voice on his [[Facebook]] page.<ref name=ulpana/> In response, the Ministry of Education issued a statement that ulpana students are required to follow the rules of their school if it mandates a religious lifestyle.<ref name=ulpana/> Ben Shitrit was also supported by the progressive Jewish organization [[Tzohar (organization)|Tzohar]].<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit ultimately finished in second place on ''The Voice Israel'', losing to [[Lina Makhul]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/reality-tv-the-way-to-israeli-consensus|title=Reality TV: The Way To Israeli Consensus?|first=Tzvi|last=Gottlieb|date=3 April 2013|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>
⚫
Ben Shitrit accepted the suspension, saying, "I understood that what I did was against the spirit of the ulpana, and didn't want to create an opening for other girls to do the same. The punishment is symbolic".<ref name=tab/> In later interviews, she pushed back against the [[Halakha|rabbinic law]] prohibiting [[Tzniut#Orthodox Judaism|women singing in front of men]], saying she thought it was more about modesty than an outright ban on singing. "I feel like there is no problem to sing in public as long as I do so in a modest way, not a provocative way, as long as I'm doing it with a pure intention", she said.<ref name=elicia/>

⚫
Ben Shitrit was viewed as a "heroine" by traditional Israeli Jews who wish to be part of secular society while maintaining their religious observance.<ref name=tab/><ref name=forward>{{cite web |url=https://forward.com/sisterhood/188652/q-and-a-orthodox-singing-sensation-ofir-ben-shitr/|title=Q&A: Orthodox Singing Sensation Ofir Ben Shitrit|first=Renee|last=Ghert-Zand|date=3 December 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[The Forward]]}}</ref> One commentator dubbed her "the religious [[Rosa Parks]]", noting that she had become "an icon and a figure for thousands of girls who look at you and see the fulfillment of their dreams in poetry, dance and theater", as well as "a symbol of the collision between the binding law of God (so to speak) and the realization of freedom and creativity".<ref name=rosa>{{cite web |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/11/ART2/434/984.html?hp=11&cat=1107&loc=0|title=את כבר לא רק אופיר בן שטרית|language=Hebrew|trans-title=You Are No Longer Just Ofir Ben shitrit|first=Avinoam|last=Hersh|date=8 February 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=Makor Rishon}}</ref> Ben Shitrit received support from Minister of Education [[Naftali Bennett]], a Religious Zionist himself, who praised her voice on his [[Facebook]] page.<ref name=ulpana/> In response, the Ministry of Education issued a statement that ulpana students are required to follow the rules of their school if it mandates a religious lifestyle.<ref name=ulpana/> Ben Shitrit was also supported by the progressive Jewish organization [[Tzohar (organization)|Tzohar]].<ref name=tab/> Ben Shitrit ultimately finished in second place on ''The Voice Israel'', losing to [[Lina Makhul]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/reality-tv-the-way-to-israeli-consensus|title=Reality TV: The Way To Israeli Consensus?|first=Tzvi|last=Gottlieb|date=3 April 2013|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>


In December 2013, the [[Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance]] invited Ben Shitrit to New York City to sing at its international conference. The organization posted her name and face on a billboard in [[Times Square]] saluting the "key personalities at the forefront of the Orthodox feminist movement".<ref name=forward/>
In December 2013, the [[Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance]] invited Ben Shitrit to New York City to sing at its international conference. The organization posted her name and face on a billboard in [[Times Square]] saluting the "key personalities at the forefront of the Orthodox feminist movement".<ref name=forward/>


==Music career==
==Professional career==
Shitrit graduated from her ulpana in spring 2013.<ref name=forward/> She signed up for a year of [[Sherut Leumi]] (National Service),<ref name=elicia/> after which she planned to study music in university.<ref name=forward/> As of 2016 she was studying at the [[Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance]].<ref name=ynet/>
Ben Shitrit launched her professional music career in 2013, performing original songs and covers of Hebrew, English, and Spanish songs.<ref name=forward/> She has performed with the [[Israeli Andalusian Orchestra]] in Ashdod. She has also performed [[piyyut]]im with the Israeli women's group "Neshot Chava" ("Women of Eve"), and recorded a song for the Religious Zionist political party, [[The Jewish Home]]'s 2015 election campaign.<ref name=ynet/>


⚫
In 2016 she began modeling modest clothing for the Modesto fashion website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.srugim.co.il/159573-%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%A8-%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%92%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A6%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C|title=כבר לא חלום: בגדים צנועים במחיר שמתאים לכולן|language=he|trans-title=No Longer a Dream: Modest clothing that suits all budgets|first=Linui|last=Misheli|date=4 September 2016|access-date=17 June 2018|work=Srugim News}}</ref>
She launched her professional music career in 2013, performing original songs and covers of Hebrew, English, and Spanish songs.<ref name=forward/> She has also performed [[piyyut]]im with the Israeli women's group "Neshot Chava" ("Women of Eve"), and recorded a [[jingle]] for the Religious Zionist political party, [[The Jewish Home]].<ref name=ynet/>


==Personal life==
⚫
In 2016 she began modeling modest clothing for the Modesto fashion website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.srugim.co.il/159573-%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%A8-%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%92%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A6%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C|title=כבר לא חלום: בגדים צנועים במחיר שמתאים לכולן|language=Hebrew|trans-title=No Longer a Dream: Modest clothing that suits all budgets|first=Linui|last=Misheli|date=4 September 2016|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=Srugim News}}</ref>
⚫
She married Israeli photographer Harel Amsalem in March 2016.<ref name=ynet>{{cite web |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4770467,00.html|title=בואי כלה: ההתחלות החדשות של אופיר בן שטרית|language=he|trans-title=Come, O Bride: The New Beginnings of Ofir Ben Shitrit|first=Tali|last=Farkash|date=24 February 2016|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://celebs.walla.co.il/item/2846004|title=קול ששון: כוכבת "דה וויס" מתחתנת|language=he|trans-title=The Voice of Gladness: 'The Voice' Star Weds|first=Shai|last=Arzoan|date=15 April 2015|access-date=17 June 2018|work=[[Walla!]]}}</ref> In June 2017 the couple had their first child, a boy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kan-ashdod.co.il/gossip/718|title=מזל טוב: אופיר בן שטרית ילדה בן|language=he|trans-title=Congratulations: Ofir Ben Shitrit Gives Birth to a Son|date=8 June 2017|access-date=17 June 2018|work=Kan Darom: Ashdod}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
⚫
Ben Shitrit married Harel Amsalem, a photographer, in March 2016.<ref name=ynet>{{cite web |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4770467,00.html|title=בואי כלה: ההתחלות החדשות של אופיר בן שטרית|language=Hebrew|trans-title=Come, O Bride: The New Beginnings of Ofir Ben Shitrit|first=Tali|last=Farkash|date=24 February 2016|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://celebs.walla.co.il/item/2846004|title=קול ששון: כוכבת "דה וויס" מתחתנת|language=Hebrew|trans-title=The Voice of Gladness: 'The Voice' Star Weds|first=Shai|last=Arzoan|date=15 April 2015|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=[[Walla!]]}}</ref> In June 2017 the couple had their first child, a boy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kan-ashdod.co.il/gossip/718|title=מזל טוב: אופיר בן שטרית ילדה בן|language=Hebrew|trans-title=Congratulations: Ofir Ben Shitrit Gives Birth to a Son|date=8 June 2017|accessdate=17 June 2018|work=Kan Darom: Ashdod}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 74: Line 71:
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLaB5bWtCS8 The Jewish Home jingle 2015]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLaB5bWtCS8 The Jewish Home jingle 2015]


{{The Voice Israel|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Israeli Orthodox Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli Orthodox Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli female singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Israeli women singers]]
[[Category:Jewish singers]]
[[Category:Jewish women singers]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Moroccan descent]]
[[Category:Jewish Israeli musicians]]
[[Category:Israeli Mizrahi Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli female models]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:21st-century Mizrahi Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century Mizrahi Jews]]
[[Category:People from Ashdod]]

Revision as of 00:27, 27 April 2024

Ofir Ben Shitrit
אופיר בן שטרית
Ben Shitrit in 2014
Ben Shitrit in 2014
Background information
Born (1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 28)[a]
OriginNir Galim, Israel
OccupationSinger
Years active2013–present
Websitehttps://ofirbs95.wixsite.com/ofirbenshitrit

Ofir Ben Shitrit (Hebrew: אופיר בן שטרית; born 20 December 1995) is an Israeli Orthodox Jewish singer. She came to prominence in 2013 as a contestant on the reality singing competition The Voice Israel. She received additional media attention due to her religious background, which led to controversy and opposition in her Orthodox Jewish religious community. She launched her professional singing career in 2013, performing Hebrew, English, Arabic and Spanish songs and covers.

Early life and education

Ben Shitrit was born to a religious Orthodox Jewish family in 1995.[1][2] Her parents, Avram and Odelia Ben Shitrit, are of Moroccan Jewish descent.[3][2] She has three siblings.[2] The family resides in the religious moshav of Nir Galim, Israel.[2]

Ben Shitrit enjoyed singing from a young age.[2] She began writing her own songs at age 11, and won her school's annual singing contest for six years in a row.[2]

She enrolled at the ulpana (religious girl's high school) in Ashdod, Israel.[4] Shitrit graduated from her ulpana in spring 2013.[5] She signed up for a year of Sherut Leumi (National Service),[2] after which she planned to study music in university.[5] As of 2016 she was studying music at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance,[6] receiving her bachelor's degree in music in 2018.

The Voice Israel

I think the Torah wants us to be happy. It wants music to make people happy. I think you can combine Torah and music, and this is why I chose to come on the show.

–Ofir Ben Shitrit, appearing on The Voice Israel[1]

In fall 2012, Ben Shitrit's aunt brought her to an audition for The Voice Israel. Though she didn't prepare in advance, she qualified for a slot on the season 2 debut.[2] In January 2013, the seventeen-year-old[2] 12th-grader[7] appeared as one of 50 contestants on the show.[1] Ben Shitrit's performance of Ofra Haza's Od Mechaka La'Echad ("Still Waiting for the One") won plaudits from the celebrity judges, and she chose Aviv Gefen to be her mentor.[1] Ben Shitrit shook Gefen's hand to seal the deal.[1]

The response from Ben Shitrit's ulpana was swift in coming. As women singing in front of men and handshaking between genders are forbidden by rabbinic law, the school suspended her for two weeks.[1] The school also ordered Ben Shitrit to take classes in Judaism.[4] Since Ministry of Education regulations do not allow a school to suspend a student for appearing on a television show, the school asked Ben Shitrit's parents to initiate the penalty.[4] Ben Shitrit's mother told Maariv: "This is a punishment that we took upon ourselves, so that the girls in the institution will see that we will do something with the child".[4]

Ben Shitrit accepted the suspension, saying, "I understood that what I did was against the spirit of the ulpana, and didn't want to create an opening for other girls to do the same. The punishment is symbolic".[1] In later interviews, she pushed back against the rabbinic law prohibiting women singing in front of men, saying she thought it was more about modesty than an outright ban on singing. "I feel like there is no problem to sing in public as long as I do so in a modest way, not a provocative way, as long as I'm doing it with a pure intention", she said.[2]

Ben Shitrit was viewed as a "heroine" by traditional Israeli Jews who wish to be part of secular society while maintaining their religious observance.[1][5] One commentator dubbed her "the religious Rosa Parks", noting that she had become "an icon and a figure for thousands of girls who look at you and see the fulfillment of their dreams in poetry, dance and theater", as well as "a symbol of the collision between the binding law of God (so to speak) and the realization of freedom and creativity".[8] Ben Shitrit received support from Minister of Education Naftali Bennett, a Religious Zionist himself, who praised her voice on his Facebook page.[4] In response, the Ministry of Education issued a statement that ulpana students are required to follow the rules of their school if it mandates a religious lifestyle.[4] Ben Shitrit was also supported by the progressive Jewish organization Tzohar.[1] Ben Shitrit ultimately finished in second place on The Voice Israel, losing to Lina Makhul.[9]

In December 2013, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance invited Ben Shitrit to New York City to sing at its international conference. The organization posted her name and face on a billboard in Times Square saluting the "key personalities at the forefront of the Orthodox feminist movement".[5]

Professional career

Ben Shitrit launched her professional music career in 2013, performing original songs and covers of Hebrew, English, and Spanish songs.[5] She has performed with the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra in Ashdod. She has also performed piyyutim with the Israeli women's group "Neshot Chava" ("Women of Eve"), and recorded a song for the Religious Zionist political party, The Jewish Home's 2015 election campaign.[6]

In 2016 she began modeling modest clothing for the Modesto fashion website.[10]

Personal life

She married Israeli photographer Harel Amsalem in March 2016.[6][11] In June 2017 the couple had their first child, a boy.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ 27 Kislev 5756 in the Hebrew calendar.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lebovitz, Liel (11 February 2013). "An Orthodox Star is Born". Tablet. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brown, Elicia (17 December 2013). "The Sound and the Fury". The New York Jewish Week. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. ^ סיכום אירוע לציון היציאה והגירוש של היהודים מארצות ערב ומאיראן
  4. ^ a b c d e f Maniv, Omri (22 January 2013). "אולפן או אולפנה: כוכבת "דה וויס" הושעתה מהלימודים" [Studio or Ulpana: Star of 'The Voice' Suspended from School]. Makor Rishon (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ghert-Zand, Renee (3 December 2013). "Q&A: Orthodox Singing Sensation Ofir Ben Shitrit". The Forward. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Farkash, Tali (24 February 2016). "בואי כלה: ההתחלות החדשות של אופיר בן שטרית" [Come, O Bride: The New Beginnings of Ofir Ben Shitrit]. Ynetnews (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  7. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (25 January 2013). "School bans religious 'Voice' contestant". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  8. ^ Hersh, Avinoam (8 February 2013). "את כבר לא רק אופיר בן שטרית" [You Are No Longer Just Ofir Ben shitrit]. Makor Rishon (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  9. ^ Gottlieb, Tzvi (3 April 2013). "Reality TV: The Way To Israeli Consensus?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  10. ^ Misheli, Linui (4 September 2016). "כבר לא חלום: בגדים צנועים במחיר שמתאים לכולן" [No Longer a Dream: Modest clothing that suits all budgets]. Srugim News (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  11. ^ Arzoan, Shai (15 April 2015). "קול ששון: כוכבת "דה וויס" מתחתנת" [The Voice of Gladness: 'The Voice' Star Weds]. Walla! (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  12. ^ "מזל טוב: אופיר בן שטרית ילדה בן" [Congratulations: Ofir Ben Shitrit Gives Birth to a Son]. Kan Darom: Ashdod (in Hebrew). 8 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
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