Raikin Ben-Ari

Efim Raikin Ben-Ari (; 15 July 1897 – 2 January 1968) was a Russian-born actor, stage director, and teacher, mostly in America. He co-founded the Habima Theatre in Moscow in the 1920s, acted on Broadway, founded the only Hebrew-language theatre in America, and taught and directed for four decades.

Early life and career Ben-Ari, whose family name was Raikin, was born near Kyiv (now in Ukraine). After training at a polytechnic school in the sciences, Ben-Ari became interested in theatre. The company produced a landmark production of The Dybbuk, a play which has gone on to be a staple of Jewish theatre. He died of a heart attack while visiting his brother in Moscow on January 2, 1968. He was survived by his wife Anna ("Nussia") and daughter Renah.

Filmography