Tzruya Lahav was born in
Ayelet HaShahar in northern Israel and grew up there playing kibbutz harvest music as well as classical music.
1970s and 1980s After her service in the
Israeli military, she arrived in the United States in 1971 with her husband Louis Lahav, a
recording engineer who in 1972 began working with Springsteen, who in turn was looking for a violinist. On record with Springsteen, most of Suki Lahav's parts did not make it to released form, but she sang the choir-like vocals on "
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from the album
The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle and played violin on "
Jungleland" from the
Born to Run album. In concert, her violin playing was a focal point of slow songs during Springsteen's shows of this time, and her "pale" "willowy" presence on stage contrasted with his. While Louis and Tzruya Lahav were in the U.S., their daughter, Tal was born. Tal was killed in a road accident at the age of three and a half. They returned to Israel in the spring of 1975. The couple divorced in 1977. Tzruya Lahav, now known by her Hebrew name Tzruya (or sometimes transliterated as Tsruya), was briefly married to the actor
Shabtai Konorti. After they divorced, she established a family with Moshe Albalek in
Jerusalem. By 1985, she had two children and little involvement in the music industry. Then she began working as a violinist and violist, appearing with the Israeli Kibbutz Orchestra, and in parts as an actress.
1990s and 2000s Lahav became a successful lyricist, writing for prominent musicians and singers in Israel; "
Shara Barkhovot" ("Singing in the Streets"), the Israeli entry in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1990 performed by
Rita, featured her words, and some of her songs are considered icons of
Israeli music. She also recast existing song lyrics from other languages into Hebrew, such as the
Leonard Cohen song "
Famous Blue Raincoat" in 1993. In 1999, she wrote the lyrics for the multi-ethnic collaborative,
Glykeria's recording "Tfilat Ha'imahot" ("The Mothers' Prayer"), which also featured
Amal Murkus and Yehudit Tamir. In 2003, the album ''No Longer the Sea: A Collection Of Tzruya Lahav's Songs'' was released, featuring performances by
Rita,
Yehudit Ravitz,
Meir Banai,
Yehuda Poliker, and others. Her songs have also been performed by Israeli artists
Gidi Gov,
Rami Kleinstein, and
Riki Gal. In 2004, a show of Lahav's songs was produced in
Tel Aviv. She wrote screenplays including
Kesher Dam (1996) a crime film; and two novels:
Andre’s Wooden Clogs (Kinneret, 2002), based on the true-life story of a boy's survival of
the Holocaust in the Netherlands (in Hebrew, also translated to
Dutch and Italian ), and
The Swamp Queen Does The Tango (
Am Oved, 2004), an adult fairy tale (in Hebrew). Both books won many awards and prizes for literature including the
Yad Vashem Prize and the Minister of Culture's prize for first work. She taught creative writing in Jerusalem, where she lived in the
German Colony neighborhood.
Death Lahav died in Jerusalem on 1 April 2026 at the age of 74. E Street Band drummer
Max Weinberg paid tribute to Lahav, saying, "The bond we forged grew stronger and stronger as we toured throughout the U.S. Northeast and Midwest during the fall of 1974. Suki, Louie, and Tal, their beautiful young daughter who received her own nickname, Scooter, were there along with the rest of us striving to spread what Bruce has always called the 'Ministry of Rock and Roll,' E Street style." Springsteen released his own statement, saying, "Here on E Street, we're heartbroken over the passing of Suki Lahav. Her angelic voice shone on '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' and her beautiful violin brought great drama to the 'Jungleland' intro. She also blessed our stage with her beauty and grace in our early touring days." ==References==