Former minister Ayelet Shaked paid tribute to the poet and writer Yonatan Gefen, who passed away at the age of 76.
"Like thousands of Israelis, my heart was also saddened by the bitter news of Yonatan Gefen's death," Shaked said. "Any award, title or crown cannot fully measure up to the artistic treasure he gave to society in Israel in his poems and books. Rightfully, he won a central place in the cultural heritage shared by all of us."
According to Shaked, "Running over his list of songs, one is stunned by the huge number of well-known and beloved songs. It is doubtful there is another songwriter and poet for whom all the great composers of his generation prepared melodies for his poems: Yair Rosenblum, Shmulik Kraus, Shalom Hanoch, Mati Caspi, Yoni Rechter, Shem Tov Levy, Miki Gabrielov, Yitzhak Kleftar stand at the top of the long list. They gave his songs eternal life. My heart goes out to the family members -- Nurit, Shira, my good friend Aviv, and Natasha in their difficult time. May his memory be blessed.''