Yaakov Bodo (; born 28 March 1931) is an Israeli actor, comedian and holocaust survivor.

Biography

Yaakov (Yankele) Bodo was born as Iacob Bodoagă (in Romanian: Iacob Bodoagă) in the town of Ștefănești in Romania. During World War II he wandered with his mother and two sisters until they reached the town of Botoșani. In the Holocaust he was employed in cleaning institutions, shoveling snow off roads, and as a kitchen worker for the Germans. He spoke only Yiddish until the age of 7. He

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

with his family to Israel in 1950 and settled in

Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...

. His grandparents were

Zionists Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly cor ...

who helped establish

Kfar Hasidim Kfar Hasidim (), also known as Kfar Hasidim Alef to distinguish it from Kfar Hasidim Bet, is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Ata, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In it had a population of . History ...

and Kiryat Haroshet (now part of

Kiryat Tiv'on Kiryat Tiv'on (, also Qiryat Tiv'on) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel, in the hills between the Zvulun (Zebulon) and Jezreel valleys. Kiryat Tiv'on is located southeast of Haifa, on the main road to Nazareth. Kiryat Tiv'on is the resul ...

) after they emigrated to

Mandate Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...

in 1933.

Acting and film career

A year after his arrival in Israel, Bodo joined the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

, where he first assembled and led the Southern Command Troupe. Following the disbanding of that troupe in 1954, he was assigned the creation of the Northern Command troupe, which he led for three-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, he came up with his "Moishe Ventilator"

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...

. Upon his release, he starred in a theater show by that name which was a hit in the 1950s—running more than a thousand times—and which was eventually made into a film version. Bodo performed on the stages of the institutionalized theaters Zira Theatre,

Habima Theatre The Habima Theatre ( ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the List of national theatres, national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the center of Tel Aviv. History ...

Haifa Theatre The Haifa Theatre (; ''Teat'ron Kheifa'') is the first municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel. Background Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi. Together with the support of the Haifa City ...

as well as commercial theater, mostly in Yiddish, where he was successful. In 1992, he joined the Yiddish-Shpiel theatre, where he mostly performs in leading roles. Among the more notable plays he performed in were ''Maagal HaGir'' (lit. "The Chalk Circle"), and ''Karnafim'' (lit. "Rhinoceroses"). In 1964 he performed in

Ephraim Kishon Ephraim Kishon (; August 23, 1924 – January 29, 2005) was a Hungarian-born Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Academy Award, Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satire, satirists in Israel a ...

's film ''

Sallah Shabati ''Sallah Shabati'' () is a 1964 Israeli comedy film about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement, as well as the issues Mizrahi Jews faced in the developing Israeli society. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and p ...

'' (), alongside

Chaim Topol Chaim Topol (; 9 September 1935 – 8 March 2023), mononymously known as Topol, was an Israeli actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and the Fiddler on the Roof ...

Gila Almagor Gila Almagor Agmon (; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre". Biography Gila Alexandrowitz (Almagor) was born in Petah Tikva to Je ...

Zaharira Harifai Zaharira Harifai (; December 12, 1929 – January 2, 2013) was an Israeli film, stage, and television actress and recipient of the Israel Prize in Theater, which she was awarded in 2003. ''The Jerusalem Post'' called her "one of Israel's most ce ...

, Shaike Levi, and

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( ; (3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Israel." Through both high public and c ...

. The film was a satirical portrayal of the poor conditions and the integration of the Jewish refugees from Arab lands living in the maabara. In 1966, Bodo's character, '' Moishe Ventilator'', was picked up and made into a parody film by the same name (), where, under the direction of

Uri Zohar Uri Zohar ( ; 4 November 1935 – 2 June 2022) was an Israeli film director, actor and comedian who left the entertainment world to become an orthodox rabbi. Biography Uri Zohar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents were History of the Jews, Polis ...

, Bodo, accompanied by

Shaike Ophir Shaike Ophir (; 4 November 1928 – 17 August 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian, playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first mime. Early life Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was born in Jerusalem. His famil ...

and the Gashah HaHiver trio, portrayed a

frugal Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent, or economical in the consumption of resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance. In behavioral science, frugality has been defined as ...

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

whose cost-cutting ideas include cutting on maps in the

operation room Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, which are coveted by a spy who infiltrates the IDF ranks.Moishe Ventilator
on tapuz.co.il In 1967, he performed in Kishon's film '' Ervinka'' (, Starred by

), about an incorrigible layabout who becomes involved in a robbery of the Israeli lottery under the cover of making a documentary. Bodo also performed ''

The Fox in the Chicken Coop ''The Fox in the Chicken Coop'' (Hebrew: , ''Ha Shu'al B'Lul Hatarnegolot'') is a 1978 Israeli film directed by Ephraim Kishon, based on Kishon's satirical book of the same name. It features many prominent Israeli actors of the time, most notably ...

'' (), ''Nahche and The General'' (), ''Millionaire in Trouble'' (), ''My Margo'' (), ''Take When They Give'' (), ''Five Five'' (), ''A Miracle in The Village'' (), ''Just Not on Saturday'' (), ''Not a Word to Morgenstern'' (), and others. He also starred in Kupa Rashit (Checkout), a TV comedy about a supermarket, as the security guard Chibotero.

Awards and recognition

* 1999 - Edith and Israel Pollack Award * 2009 - Israeli Theater Award lifetime achievement award * 2000 - Lerner Yiddish Foundation Award . * 2013 - Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Darling Badge * 2016 - the National Authority for Yiddish Culture

Personal life

Bodo is a holocaust survivor, he married with three children and has five grandchildren. He is married to his wife and personal manager, Ester, whom he met in

References

External links