Rabbi Mordechai "Popik" Arnon passed away today at the age of 78 • Popik accompanied Eric Einstein and Uri Zohar in the days of "Coop" and reinvented himself as the sector's health guru

• Rabbi Mordechai (Popik) Arnon // Photo: Ofer Chen

Sad news in the world of Israeli culture. On Friday, singer and actor Rabbi Mordechai "Popik" Arnon passed away when he was 78. Arnon was especially famous as part of "The Trio of Twins," along with Oshik Levy and Hanan Goldblatt. Rabbi Arnon was one of the people who accompanied Eric Einstein and Uri Zohar in the merry "coop" days and was considered the person who reinvented himself as the health guru of the sector.

Arnon was born Arnon was born on April 23, 1941, in Nahalat Yehuda, north of Rishon Lezion, and attended Kaduri Agricultural School, where he was nicknamed "Popik" because of his low stature. Arnon was one of Israel's entertainment stars in the 1960s and early 1970s. He participated in the cult films "Peeps" and "Slug", sang in the "Twins" trio (alongside Hanan Goldblatt and Oshik Levy) and spent time with the best of the Tel Aviv bohemian, and especially those who became known as "the coop" - Uri Zohar, Eric Einstein and their friends.

In the days of glamor. His most memorable hit is "Star Ballad" // Photo courtesy of Mordechai Navon

Prior to founding the trio, he played well-known and successful films, including "Saleh Shabati" and "Two Connie Lemel." After breaking up the trio, he went on to a short film career and participated in "snail" and "peeps" films. Soon after, he repented.

One of the trio's biggest hits was "I Love You." In addition, the trio was known for very successful Hebrew versions of major hits from abroad of those days, including the Trameleus and French chansons. In addition, there were plays and skits that the trio made very successful in the 1960s. After each breakup of the trio, Arnon played in the successful musical "Casablanca" and developed a solo career.

In "The Trio of Twins." "I really didn't think I had anything to do with the village"

Photo: Ofer Chen

Forty years ago he repented, becoming one of the first celebs to undergo their radical upheaval, becoming a Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox. He later moved to "repent," in his own words, and became an avid preacher of a healthy lifestyle.

In an interview with Israel this week, "from 2017, Arnon told of his second repentance:" Two repetitions in my repentance are two parallel lines. For the first time, I returned to the Torah and the commandments as the Holy One blessedly wants from us. In the second I went back to living healthy, this too is a situation that the Blessed One really wants us to live. We sleep in the dark, eat vegetables, keep our bodies. I love both rehearsals. Both are a significant makeover in life. "