Rita Jehan-Forouz was born in Tehran, Iran, to a Persian Jewish family. Her family immigrated to Israel in 1970 and lived in a suburb outside of Tel Aviv. She began singing professionally as a band member while in the Israeli Army during the 1980s, and rose to stardom quickly.
Halutz was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and grew up on moshav Hagor. His parents are both Mizrahi Jewish, and they were born in Iran and in Iraq. Halutz holds a degree in economics from Tel Aviv University, and a Harvard Business School degree. He is chairman of the Etgarim special-needs charity.
