Ophir, Shaike

Yeshayahu Goldstein was born in 1928 into an Ashkenazi family living for three generations in Even Yehoshua in the ultra-orthodox quarter of Jerusalem . As a child, he learned Yiddish , Ladino , French and Arabic, which were spoken by his entourage, and also mastered the Sephardic pronunciation in Hebrew so as not to differ from classmates ^[1] .

Shaike Ophir during the years of his performances at Cheesbatron

He studied at the school of the World Jewish Union , in 1946 he joined the " Paliam " (naval detachment " Palmach "). Since 1948, he studied in the studio at the Ha-Ohel theater and made his debut on the stage of this theater in a cameo role in the production of Alexander Ostrovsky's Storms . During the War of Independence of Israel , escorting convoys going to besieged Jerusalem, they organized improvised concerts for colleagues, one of which was seen by the commander of the “Palmach” Yigal Alon . On the recommendation of Alon, with the active participation of Shaike, the army ensemble " Cheesbatron " was created, which existed until 1950. As part of this ensemble, Shaike performed as a soloist, director and author of the reprise ^[2] . During military service on the advice of the band’s comrade, poet Haim Hefer , Shaike Goldstein changed his name, which sounded “too bad, ” to Ophir ^[1] .

In 1950, at the end of his service, Ophir went to France, where he spent three and a half years. In Paris, he studied the art of pantomime under Etienne Decreux and Marcel Marceau and performed as part of the Marceau troupe of the Commonwealth of Memes. Returning to Israel, he joined the troupe of the Cameri Theater, in which he created a pantomime studio ^{[2] [3]} . Ophir's studio managed to carry out two productions in 1954 and 1955, after which it was dissolved by the theater ^[4] . At the same time, Ophir also played in the performances of the main troupe “Cameri”, including distinguishing himself in the production of the vaudeville “The Straw Hat ” by E. Labish in 1956 ^[2] .

During the 1956 Sinai Campaign , Ophir performed front-line concerts in front of AOI soldiers. At the end of that year, he left for the United States, where he was invited by an American singer and comedian Leo Gould to perform at a New York nightclub. Ophir stayed in the USA until 1961, including in a duet with Marlene Dietrich and touring the whole country. He also took part in a concert in honor of the anniversary of the UN ^[2] .

In Israel, Ophir continued his theatrical career, including at the Hamam Cabaret Theater (one-man show The Man Who Laughs), at the Ha-Ohel theater ( Moliere 's Imaginary Sick ) and Gabima (Professor Higgins in the musical “ My Fair Lady ") ^[2] . From 1964 to 1968 he was the first director, author of texts and press secretary of the popular comedy trio “ Ha-gashash ha-heaver ” (“Pale-faced Pathfinder”) ^[4] . Since the mid-1960s, he has actively starred in Israeli films, of which Ezraima Kishon , the " Police Azulay " released in 1971, was the most successful. The film, in which Ophir played the title role of the nonsense policeman Abraham Azulay, won the Golden Globe and the International Television Prize at the Monte Carlo Film Festival ^[2] , and was also nominated for an Oscar ^[1] . In 1977, Ophir acted as screenwriter and director in the film Five Hundred Thousands in Black, which, however, did not succeed at the box office ^[2] . In total, he starred in 28 movies ^[3] .

Shaike Ophir was married twice - first to the singer and actress Ohele Halevi, also a member of the ensemble “Chezbatron” and the daughter of the founder of the theater “Ha-Ohel” Moshe Halevi; and then on Lydia Schumacher, daughter of a Polish-Israeli Yiddish comedian (known for the duet with Shimon Dzigan ). Of each marriage, Ophir had a son and a daughter ^[4] . Shaike's eldest son, Adi (Elad) Ophir, and daughter from his second marriage, Keren, also became actors ^[5] .

In 1987, Ophir, who performed in the play of the Gabima Theater “King Matius the First” based on the work of Janusz Korczak , lost consciousness on the stage. He was diagnosed with lung cancer . Shaike Ophir died in August of that year ^[1] .

During his theatrical and cinematic career, Shaike Ophir was awarded numerous awards. In 1974 he received the prize of the Safed Film Festival as the best actor, in 1981 - the prize of the Israeli Union of Actors (AMI) for his career achievements in theater, pantomime and cinema, and in 1981 - the Meir Margalit prize ^[4] . The movie roles brought Ophir three prizes “Violin of David”, awarded by the newspaper “ Yediot Ahronot ” ^[3] .

In an online survey in Israel, Ophir was named 33rd on the list of Israel's greatest. In 2004, the Ophir Prize of the Israeli Film Academy was named in his honor ^[3] .

• Ophir Shaike - article from the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
• Shaike Ophir (Neopr.) . Jewish Virtual Library. Date of treatment July 23, 2016.
• Shimon Leo-Ari. Ophir (Goldstein) Shay (Yeshayahu) Shaike (Hebrew) . Handbook "One Hundred Years of the Jewish Theater". Date of treatment July 23, 2016.