Yosef "Jo" Amar (Hebrew: יוסף "ג'ו" עמר, Arabic: يوسف (جو) عمار) (1 June 1930 – 26 June 2009[1]) was a Moroccan-Israeli singer and hazzan, notable for his pioneering of the Mizrahi genre and his influence on many artists such as Zohar Argov (who would cover one of Amar’s songs "Barcelona"), Eyal Golan, Ishai Levi and Oren Hen.
[citation needed] Amar tried to introduce Mizrahi music originating in Middle Eastern or North African countries to mainstream Israeli culture.
[1] He published an anthology of liturgical music from Morocco and recorded more than 20 albums, including two with the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra (התזמורת האנדלוסית הישראלית).
His hits include "Yismah Moshe", "Shalom LeVen Dodi", "Barcelona", "Song of the Drunkard", "Ani Havatzelet HaSharon", and many more.
Mayor Uri Lupoliansky presented Amar with a certificate of appreciation, and selections from a movie on his life, beginning with his childhood in Morocco, were screened.