Yona Atari

Yona Atari (Hebrew: יונה עטרי; 4 December 1933 – 11 March 2019) was an Israeli singer and actress whose career spanned stage, television, and Broadway.

Atari was born in Sana'a and was the eldest of eight children. Her family relocated to Israel when she was three months old, and she was raised in Rehovot. Her mother encouraged her to pursue music and theatre, though her father opposed the studies, viewing such pursuits as idolatrous. At fifteen, Atari left for Tel Aviv, settling in Kerem HaTeimanim under the mentorship of Nahum Nardi, who connected her with Esther Gamlielit. In 1950 she joined the Nahal Troupe, and from 1951 to 1955 she trained as an actress at the Habima Theatre.

Her stage career developed steadily through the following decades. In 1957 she joined Batzal Yarok and subsequently appeared in a play written by Haim Hefer and Dahn Ben-Amotz. In 1964 she took part in a theatrical adaptation of Sammy Gronemann's King Solomon and the Shoemaker alongside Rachel Attas and Illi Gorlitzky, and she and Gorlitzky later collaborated on a performance of the song Concertina and a Guitar. Atari also appeared in stage adaptations of The Dybbuk, Medea, and The Threepenny Opera.

In 1971, Atari brought her talents to Broadway, appearing in To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter. On Israeli television, she was a prominent cast member of Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli adaptation of Sesame Street, from 1983 to 1987.

In her personal life, Atari was married to El Al and Air Force pilot Uri Yaffe from 1960 until his death on June 10, 2012. They had two children, Dana and Oren. She was the older sister of radio personality Shosh Atari and singer Gali Atari.

Atari died on 11 March 2019 in Tel Aviv from complications related to Alzheimer's disease at the age of 85. A funeral service was held at the Cameri Theatre, where her coffin was placed on public display before she was laid to rest at Yarkon Cemetery.