David Maaravi was born in Russia in 1896. As a young boy, Maaravi decided to immigrate to Israel by himself. Once in Israel, he was accepted as a student at Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, where he studied painting and sculpture with Prof. Boris Schatz, under conditions of great poverty.

In 1916 he was sent, along with other Bezalel students, to work in agriculture and as a guard throughout the country. Around 1920, Maaravi settled in Tel Aviv. It was during this period that alongside fine arts, he felt compelled to practice music. He conducted many choirs, and arranged for choir his own music as well as the music of other composers.

For 25 years Maaravi worked as a school teacher for music and fine arts. He composed more than 80 children’s songs, some of which became classics, among them are: “shira Hanoar” (Sing Our Youth the Song of our future), “Gina Li” (I have a Garden), “Kashtenu Al Shichmenu” (our bows across our shoulders), and more. His notable reputation was mainly due to his music career, which was the focus of his work.

In 1945 Maaravi died unexpectedly, at the ago of 49. Not much is left of Maaravi’s artistic endeavor: three sculptures in the Bezalel archives, a collection of sketches in the Israel Museum, and the estate held by his daughter.