Actress Orna Porat DiesCIE+
August 6, 2015 Stage and screen actress Orna Porat dies at age 91 in Tel Aviv. She was born Irene Klein, a German Christian, near Cologne in 1924. She turned toward atheism and socialism in…
Filmmaker Avraham Heffner DiesCIE+
September 19, 2014 Actor, screenwriter, director and producer Avraham Heffner dies at age 79 in Tel Aviv. He was born in Haifa in 1935 and served in the Nahal army band during his time in…
“Lebanon” Wins Venice Film AwardCIE+
For the first time since the award was introduced in 1949, an Israeli film, Lebanon, wins the Golden Lion Award at the 66th annual Venice International Film Festival.
Israel Hosts First International Dance Sport Competition in AshdodCIE+
More than 3,000 spectators attend the Ten Dance European Cup, the first international dance sports competition to be held in Israel.
Choreographer Sarah Levy-Tanai DiesCIE+
Sarah Levy-Tanai, one of Israel’s foremost choreographers and contributors to Israeli cultural life, dies in her mid-90s.
Ephraim Kishon Passes AwayCIE+
Israeli writer, playwright, and film writer/director Ephraim Kishon passes away at the age of 80 in Switzerland.
Hanoch Levin Premieres Last PlayCIE+
March 19, 1999 Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin’s final play, “Requiem,” makes its debut at the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv. The play is based on three short stories by Anton Chekhov. Levin dies of bone…
Third Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival Is HeldCIE+
The biennial Tel-Aviv International Student Film Festival film festival includes a future Oscar winner among its student films.
Israeli Supermodel Bar Refaeli Is Born in Hod Hasharon
Known internationally for her beauty and business savvy, Bar Refaeli has lead modeling campaigns for major brands such as Gap and Samsung, and has one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion industry.
First International Festival of Jewish Theater Convenes
The First International Conference and Festival of Jewish Theater opens in Tel Aviv. The festival coincides with the beginning of the first war in Lebanon and is almost canceled because many Israeli participants were called up for reserve duty.
Actress Hanna Rovina DiesCIE+
February 3, 1980 Acclaimed actress Hanna Rovina dies in Ra’anana at age 91. Her body lies in state the next day at the Habima Theatre, and she is eulogized by Shimon Finkel as “the high…
Opera Star Edis De Philippe Dies
July 5, 1979 Israel National Opera Company founder Edis De Philippe dies at age 67 after brain surgery. A New York native, De Philippe studied music, ballet and half a dozen languages before committing to…
Channel 1 Starts BroadcastingCIE+
May 2, 1968 Israel’s first general-interest television network begins broadcasting at 9:30 a.m. with an image of a menorah, followed by an aerial view of Jerusalem and, at 9:40, the national Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day)…
Israeli TV Goes on AirCIE+
March 24, 1966 An instructional program in math, geared toward seventh- and ninth-graders in 32 schools in the middle of the country, becomes Israel’s first television broadcast. The Israeli government has viewed television as a…
‘Sallah Shabati’ Receives Oscar NominationCIE+
Ephraim Kishon’s “Sallah Shabati” becomes Israel’s first Oscar-nominated film in the foreign language film category for the 37th Academy Awards.
All-Time Miss Israel Illana Shoshan Is BornCIE+
April 14, 1961 Illana Shoshan, who wins the 1980 Miss Israel title after finishing second in the 1978 teen pageant, is born in Kfar Saba, Israel. In a public vote held in 2010 to celebrate…
Filmmaker Amos Gitai Born in HaifaCIE+
Filmmaker Amos Gitai, known for documentaries and features on the Middle East, the Israeli-Arab conflict and Holocaust memory in Europe, is born to architect Munio Weinraub and teacher Efratia Margalit in Haifa.
Cinema Director Alon Garbuz Is BornCIE+
September 9, 1948 Alon Garbuz, the director of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque for four decades, is born in Givatayim, the youngest of three brothers. The oldest, Aharon, becomes a leader in the Histadrut labor federation…
LGBTQ Leader Gila Goldstein Is BornCIE+
December 18, 1947 Actress, singer and transgender-rights activist Gila Goldstein is born as Abraham Goldstein in Turin, Italy. Goldstein immigrates to Haifa as a child and is active with the Maccabi Haifa soccer club. Goldstein…
Actress Gila Almagor Is Born
July 22, 1939 Gila Almagor, known as the “queen of the Israeli cinema and theater,” is born as Gila Alexandrowitz in Haifa four months after an Arab sniper killed her father, a policeman who immigrated…
Actress Haya Harareet Is BornCIE+
September 20, 1931 Actress Haya Harareet, best known as Judah Ben-Hur’s love interest Esther in the 1959 remake of “Ben-Hur,” is born Haya Neuberg in Haifa to Polish immigrants who arrived in Mandatory Palestine when…
Playwright Nissim Aloni Is BornCIE+
August 24, 1926 Playwright and translator Nissim Aloni is born Nissim Levi to poor Bulgarian Jewish parents in Florentin, a low-income neighborhood in the south of Tel Aviv that becomes an inspiration for his work….
Israeli Film Pioneer Lia Van Leer Is BornCIE+
A pioneer in Israeli film, Lia Van Leer is born Lia Greenberg in Beltsy, Romania (today Moldova).
Actress Hanna Maron Is BornCIE+
November 22, 1923 Hannele Meierzak, who as Hanna Maron becomes known as “the first lady of Israeli theater,” is born in Berlin. As a child, she appears in many plays and films, including an uncredited…
1 2
