Yafa Yarkoni (born Yafa Abramov, 24 December 1925 - 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer, known as the "War Singer" due to her frequent appearances in front of Israel Defense Forces soldiers, especially during Israel's wars. Yarkoni was born in Giv'at Rambam (today a neighbourhood of Giv'atayim) to a Jewish family that immigrated from the Caucasus. When she was 10 years old, she learned ballet dancing under Gertrude Kraus, one of Israel's choreography pioneers.