For six decades, he has shown that Israeli rock can be intimate, critical and unmistakably itself.

On September 1, Shalom Hanoch turned 80. Israel’s Kan 88 marked the occasion with a four-hour listener poll and broadcast devoted to his music. The top three selections were “Mehakim LeMashiach” (“Waiting for the Messiah”), “Adam Betoch Atzmo” (“A Man Within Himself”) and “Neged HaRuach” (“Against the Wind”). That list offers a compact description of his range: public disillusionment, private reflection and stubborn endurance.

For readers outside Israel, it can be difficult to explain Hanoch’s place in the country’s culture. He is not simply a successful singer who has remained popular for a long time. He belongs to the generation that transformed rock from a foreign musical influence into a language in which Israelis could recognize themselves.

When Hebrew learned to rock

Hanoch was born at Kibbutz Mishmarot in 1946 and wrote his first song, “Laila” (“Night”), at 14. He wrote with another young member of the kibbutz, Meir Ariel, before joining the Nahal military entertainment troupe. His decisive early partnership, however, was with Arik Einstein, who was already one of Israel’s leading singers.  Their work together, particularly the 1970 albums Shablul and Plastelina, helped establish........

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