Rafael Klatzkin, a veteran actor associated with the world famous Habima theater, died here Wednesday at the age of 82. He had suffered a heart attack recently and collapsed while strolling near his home.
Klatzkin, who was also a poet, was born in Poland and came to Palestine in 1914 to study at the Herzliya Gymnasium in Haifa. He returned to Poland after the outbreak of World War I but moved permanently to Palestine in 1940 as a construction worker.
He joined Habima in the late 1920’s and had major roles in hundreds of its productions. Verses he wrote at the time of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 became the lyrics of many popular songs.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
