Yonatan Razel is a singer, writer, composer, musical arranger and conductor.

Background

As a child learned to play on piano and cello, and studied conducting with Mendi Rodan. With his siblings Aharon, Yehuda and Ricka, the Razels formed a band and performed on Rivka Michaeli

Rivka Michaeli

Rivka Michaeli is an Israeli actress, comedienne, television hostess, and entertainer.-Career:By age 14, she was singing on Israel Radio. Michaeli performed her military duties at the Army Radio. In the 1960s, her first show on stage was with Yossi Banai...

's program. Razel's army service was as a musician and arranger for the IDF military band. After his release, he studied conducting and was the conductor for the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the Ra'anana Symphonette.

For a number of years Razel abandoned his music, moved to Susya

Susya

Susya refers to the site of an ancient village of the biblical Judea, in the southern Hebron Hills of the West Bank that has come to light in recent archeological investigations, to a Palestinian village settled in the 1830s, and to a religious communal Israeli settlement, under the jurisdiction...

, where he worked as a shepherd and studied psychology. An offer to arrange music came from Yoni Rechter

Yoni Rechter

Yoni Rechter is an Israeli musician, composer, pianist, arranger and singer.-Biography:Yonatan Rechter was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He was the son of Israeli architect Ya'akov Rechter and stepson of Israeli actress Hanna Meron. He attended Tichon Hadash high school...

 and drew him back into the musical world. This performance won warm reactions, and was later included in a "Best of.." collection by Yoni Rechter. This was also when Razel met and befriended Evyatar Banai.

Musical career

In 2007, after 12 years of work, Razel released his first album "All in all", produced by Eviatar Banai. Three radio singles from the album were "All in all", "Zion", and "I am my prayer". The album was followed by a solo tour.

Razel won "Singer of the Year" and "Song of the Year" from Ynet in the fall of 2007.

In 2009, Razel gained fame in the Orthodox Jewish community after a song he wrote and arranged for Yaakov Shwekey

Yaakov Shwekey

Yaakov Shwekey is an Orthodox Jewish American recording artist, and musical entertainer. Through his father, he is of Egyptian and Syrian Sephardic heritage, although his mother is Ashkenazic.-Biography:...

, "V'hi Sheamda", was successful and won an award as "Song of the Decade" from the religious Israeli radio station "Kol Chai".

Personal life

Razel was born in New York and moved to to Israel at a young age with his family.

He currently lives in Nahlaot, Jerusalem, is married to Yael and has three daughters and one son.

He learns in the Jerusalem Kollel under the direction of Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits

Yitzchak Berkovits

Yitzchak Berkovits , also spelled Yitzchak Berkowitz, is a Haredi Jewish rabbi, rosh kollel and posek in Jerusalem, Israel...

.

Razel is the brother of musicians Aaron Razel and Ricka Van Leeuwen, and the cousin of the violinist Nitzan Chen Razel.