BANAI, YOSEF (YOSSI)

(1932-2006)

An Israeli cultural icon, he was a multidisciplinary artist in stage managing, playwriting, satire, cinema, and singing. Born inJerusalem, he joined theHabimah Theaterin the mid-1950s, where he worked most of his career. He quickly achieved fame as a talented writer of satire, comedian, and musician. In the 1970s, he branched out into a musical career, often involving the translation ofFrenchchansons intoHebrew. He also wrote books, includingI Sing to Pass Away the Time,When My Mother Was Queen, andLetters in the Wind, as well as two books for children. He received the artists union's Lifetime Achievement Prize in 1993 and theIsrael Prizefor theater in 1998. Banai died of cancer on 11 May 2006 and was buried at Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha.

See alsoTheater.