Sara Levi-Tanai

Sara Levi-Tanai’s family emigrated to Israel at the end of the 19th century from Yemen in a journey on foot via Habesha (now Ethiopia). The family went to live in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. During the period of World War I, the Jews were expelled from Tel Aviv-Yafo by the Ottoman (Turkish) Sultanate and were concentrated in a refugee camp that had been established in Kfar Saba. In a large hall with no partitions, each family was allocated a small space on a blanket. In the ensuing confusion and disorder of the displacement, Sara’s older brother disappeared, and her sister and mother passed away; after a while, she was sent to the orphans’ home in the city. Some time later, a group of girls from the orphans’ home in Tzfat was taken to the educational institution “Shfeya”. Upon finishing her studies at Shfeya, Sara Levi-Tanai was registered for studies at the Levinsky teachers’ seminary (1924-1925). Mrs. Sophia Berger, who supported Levi-Tanai during the period when she was staying at the orphans’ home in Tzfat, continued to support her during this time. She sent her a monthly allowance and paid her tuition at the seminary. Levi-Tanai completed her training as a kindergarten teacher, and was appointed as a teacher’s assistant in the Shapira neighborhood in Tel Aviv; she later moved to a position of head teacher in a kindergarten on Spinoza Street in Tel Aviv.

Levi-Tanai was accepted as an actress at the theater of the teachers’ organization. Thus she also studied theater arts at the studio of Tzvi Friedland (father of actress Dalia Friedland). During these studies, Levi-Tanai also tried her luck with the auditions of the Habima and Ha-Ohel theaters. Sadly, both of them received negative results (presumably because of her Yemenite accent). 

During the Second World War, her husband served in the Jewish brigade, and Sara moved to Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, where she served as kindergarten teacher until the end of the war. During this time, she put on, with members of the kibbutz, many shows. Among those performances were Song of Songs, which was put on in 1947 and which, over time, became the signature show of the group “Inbal.”

In her former life, Levi-Tanai was remote from the members of the Yemenite community, but she searched for her way toward this way of life, as she said: “Emanuel Amiran, who was the principal of the academy for music teachers, invited me to teach songs and children’s games at the academy. Amiran and I worked together and wrote a book or two. I wrote the text and he wrote the melodies. I asked him permission to invite once or twice a week Yemenite youth, a natural thing for any artist who is searching for his roots. I wanted to form a Yemenite performing group. I went to “Kerem”, collected young boys and girls and learned from them, and particularly from their parents, the original dances that accompanied the community from time immemorial. I approached Yishayahu Avrech, director of the cultural center of the “Histadrut” in those days, and the Center took it upon itself the financing of the new group – the Inbal group. Therefore, from the of culture and the songs of “Anu banu artza” of the first immigrations, was born a new ethnic performing group, whose influence is felt to this very day, being the power supplier to world music and ethnic folklore to Israeli communities in our era.”

Sara Levi-Tanai passed away on the 29th day of Elul, on the eve of Rosh Hashana (2/10/05), at the age of 95.