Milk and Honey (Israeli group)
| Company type | Vocal ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Shlomo Zach, Kobi Oshrat |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Israel |
Key people | Shmulik Bilu, Reuven Gvirtz, Yehuda Tamir, Gali Atari, Leah Lupatin |
| Products | Music recordings, performances |
Milk and Honey (Khalav U'Dvash) was a vocal ensemble from Israel, initially consisting of Shmulik Bilu, Reuven Gvirtz, Yehuda Tamir, and Gali Atari. They achieved victory for Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with their acclaimed track "Hallelujah".
History
The group was established in 1978 through the collaboration of producer Shlomo Zach and composer Kobi Oshrat. Milk and Honey came into existence after both Hakol Over Habibi and Yardena Arazi declined to perform Oshrat's song "Hallelujah" at the . After winning the national selection, they went on to secure first place at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979. The single "Hallelujah" climbed to number five on the UK Singles Chart in April 1979. Another notable international success for the band was the song "Goodbye New York".
In 1981, Leah Lupatin replaced Atari who departed within a year of their initial success. That same year, Atari initiated legal action against Zach over unpaid royalties; the Israeli judiciary ruled in her favor in 1994. Later, in 2003, Zach filed a lawsuit against Oshrat regarding entitlement to payments made to Atari as a member of the group; this dispute was resolved through mediation by 2009.
Milk and Honey also took part in Israel's national Eurovision selections with "Serenada" in 1981, finishing fourth, and "Ani Ma'amin" in 1989, placing eighth. Additionally, Gvirtz and Tamir contributed as backing vocalists for Israel's Eurovision entry in 1988.
Shmulik Bilu died on 31 December 2023 at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv at the age of 71.