Such Life
The Israeli television program that turned the lives of the country’s public figures into a shared cultural record
Such Life was one of the defining interview programs of Israeli television. For nearly three decades, it brought viewers the lives, work and personalities of writers, performers, public figures and other people who shaped the country’s society and culture. Through surprise encounters, testimony from family members, friends and colleagues, and stories from different periods in each guest’s life, the program created an accessible form of popular biography and a lasting record of Israeli heritage.
From radio to television
The program began in 1966 as a radio broadcast on Kol Yisrael’s Reshet Bet, under the name These Are Your Lives. Amos Ettinger served as its host and principal researcher before transferring the concept to television.
The television version, titled Such Life, premiered on April 25, 1972. Nearly one hundred programs were produced over the years. Ettinger hosted virtually all of them, with the exception of the episode devoted to broadcaster Haim Yavin, filmed in 2008 and hosted by Yigal Ravid.
A television ritual of memory and tribute
The featured guest was brought into a dark studio. When the lights came on, applause filled the room and Ettinger accompanied the guest through the audience to the stage, revealing the gathering prepared in their honor.
Relatives, friends, colleagues and others from different stages of the guest’s life shared memories. Each program also sought to introduce a surprising figure from the guest’s past. The signature question, “What does the next voice say to you?”, asked the guest to identify the next participant by voice and became a familiar Israeli catchphrase.
The research assembled for each broadcast was presented to the guest as a commemorative book. The program opened and closed with Pensive Miss, a melody by composer Neal Hefti. In the closing ritual, acquaintances approached the guest to embrace or kiss them, offer flowers and join in the celebration.
Growing with Israeli society
In April 1987, the program broadcast its numbered jubilee episode, devoted to Shaike Dan. It was intended to be the final program, but the series continued. In the late 1990s, it was briefly presented under the name Such Life Returns, featuring figures who had appeared in earlier decades, including Haim Topol and Yehoram Gaon.
The regular run ended in 2000, but the format returned for special programs. In 2007, one episode honored radio broadcaster and quiz-show host Yitzhak Shimoni. Another program devoted to Yaakov Turner was filmed in February 2011, followed by an episode honoring football coach Shlomo Scharf, filmed in May 2012.
Guests and memorable departures from the format
The first television guest was the poet Haim Gouri, in the episode broadcast on April 25, 1972. The final guest during the regular run through 2000 was journalist Yeshayahu “Shaike” Ben-Porat. A special Purim episode in 1976 featured Ahasuerus, played by Avner Hizkiyahu.
Why Such Life belongs in Moreshet
Such Life merits inclusion in Moreshet because it was more than an interview program. For decades, it created a popular archive of memories, testimony and human relationships, preserving the stories of people who helped shape Israeli culture and public life. Its research files, commemorative books and recorded encounters captured details of careers and communities that might otherwise have survived only in the memories of relatives and colleagues.
Its lasting importance also lies in the way it connected generations. Viewers encountered not only the public role of each guest but the person behind it, along with the relationships that made a life meaningful. The program belongs both to the history of Israeli television and to the history of communal memory in Israel. At Moreshet.com, it stands as an example of how a popular medium can transform individual stories into shared cultural heritage.
