Asked to Sing Moshe Peretz Hit, Hanan Ben Ari Fires Back With a Joke

Popular Israeli singer Hanan Ben Ari found himself in an amusing moment during a recent concert, when a fan handed him a phone with a surprising request: to perform “Gibor Shel Ima” (“Mom’s Hero”), a hit song by fellow artist Moshe Peretz.

Ben Ari, known for his sharp wit, responded playfully:

“Sweetheart, we’re clear that I’m Hanan Ben Ari and not Moshe Peretz, right?” But instead of brushing off the request, he decided to indulge the audience. “I can give it a try. Want me to sing Gibor Shel Ima? By the way, the phone is confiscated, for the chutzpah,” he joked.

With plenty of help from the crowd, Ben Ari launched into the chorus of Peretz’s anthem, a song that has become widely beloved since the war began. At the end, he delivered a classic tongue-in-cheek compliment: “You sing other people’s songs beautifully.”

The moment quickly spread on TikTok, drawing both laughs and admiration for the singer’s good-natured humor.

Meanwhile, “Gibor Shel Ima” has been making headlines in its own right. The song has become strongly associated with IDF soldiers, and Peretz himself recently visited wounded troops in the hospital. In one viral clip, he began singing the song to a reservist named Dotan, assuming his eye patch was the result of a battlefield injury, only to discover it was from a minor stye. The lighthearted exchange lit up social media, adding another layer to the song’s growing legacy.