Berry Sakharof – The Prince of Israeli Rock

Stand for Israel  |  July 7, 2021

Born into a Jewish family in Turkey, Berry Sakharof made aliyah (immigrated) with them at the age of three. He began his musical career at the age of 16 in the band Cosmic Dream.

In the 1980s Berry Sakharof first came to the Israeli public’s attention. After his IDF service, he helped found the band Minimal Compact, which became the first Israeli band to achieve international success. After six albums, the band broke up when they could not get visas to tour the U.S.

A collaborative album with Rea Mochiach, Signs of Weakness, achieved great success and a Ynet readers poll among Israeli readers selected it as the 11th best album ever. By the 1990s, Berry Sakharof ranked as one of the most successful live acts in Israel, which earned him the name “the prince of Israeli rock.” His 1998 album, Touches, went platinum in just days.

A 2001 song recorded by Berry Sakharof, “Lord of World,” was actually written by Barry Hazak, a soldier killed during the Yom Kippur War. Above, listen to another song about heroes, from a Hero of the Holy Land and an Israeli You Should Know, this one a cover of David Bowie’s popular song “Heroes.”