Gary Bilu, Israeli Theater Legend, Dies at 67
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Crossposted from Haaretz
Gary Bilu, the legendary head of Beit Zvi acting school and founder of the Be’er Sheva Theater, died Tuesday at the age of 67. Bilu, the recipient of the 2006 Israeli Theater Award for his life’s work, died at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after a long illness.
Bilu requested that his body be cremated, and that there be no funeral service.
Bilu was born in China, and immigrated to Israel in 1950. After his army service he studied drama in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1973 he founded the Be’er Sheva Theater and stayed on as general director for eight years. In 1981, he was appointed head of the Beit Zvi acting school, a position he held for the next 28 years — apart for a one year stint as general director of Habima, the National Theater of Israel.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chiefSupport our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
