The father of Israeli rock on Aussie soil

When Shalom Hanoch steps onto the stage in Melbourne and Sydney this week, it will be the first time in his five-decade career that he will perform on Australian soil. For many in the audience, it will feel like a homecoming they’ve waited lifetimes for.

“Shalom Hanoch’s music is the soundtrack of generations,” says Hallely Kimchi, co-founder of Shelanu Community Culture Hub, which is presenting the tour. “Having him here in Australia for the first time is something we may never see again.”

For those unfamiliar with Hanoch’s legacy, imagine Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon rolled into one cultural force. That’s the reverence Israelis hold for the 76-year-old musician. His songs don’t just soundtrack moments. They’ve defined them.

Rising to prominence in the 1970s through his collaboration with the late Arik Einstein and the band Tammuz, Hanoch pioneered a sound that married Western rock sensibilities with Hebrew poetry and Israeli identity.

His solo work, which has spanned more than 50 years, has remained iconic across generations, and now resonates with both young audiences discovering his music and those who’ve followed him since the beginning.

What makes this Australian tour special is its intimacy. ‘Shalom Hanoch Downunder’ promises an acoustic format that strips back stadium rock to reveal the raw emotional core of Hanoch’s songwriting.

Joining him will be long-time collaborator Moshe Levi on keyboards and backing vocals, alongside his grandson Omri Keren on guitar, with the multi-generational collaboration mirroring the multi-generational appeal of Hanoch’s music itself.

For Australia’s Jewish and Israeli community, the concerts represent something more than just entertainment. They connect the diaspora to homeland, parents to children, memory to the present moment.

The tour also carries a deeper purpose. All revenue from the concerts will go directly towards building the Shelanu Community Culture Hub, helping establish a permanent home for Jewish and Israeli cultural events, creativity, music, and community connection in Australia.

Shalom Hanoch performs in Melbourne on February 14 and in Sydney on February 16.