Racheli Plant Rosen, knitted news02.02.23 11:59 11 in the tribe of Tishpag
(Photo: Sivan Farage)
The 93-year-old actress Lea Koenig Stolfer received an honorary degree last night (Wednesday) from the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot. The event was attended by artists, colleagues and friends from the world of culture, among them: Gila Almagor, Sandra Sade, Esnat Fishman, Tatiana Canellis Ollier, Shiran Huberman and Erez Regev.
The award was given to Koenig for her extraordinary achievements in the field of acting: in theater, film and television, her contribution in shaping the identity and image of the Hebrew theater, her contribution in preserving the Yiddish language as a language of speech and art, and her many years of contribution to the world of culture and art in Israel.
This is the first time that the Peres Academic Center awards an honorary degree, and Koenig was the first to receive the degree. She started acting in the stage theater 61 years ago, and hasn’t stopped since.
At the beginning of her journey, Lia Koenig was offered to play in Yiddish, how she refused. She told about her mother, who told her that if they immigrate to Israel they should integrate into the state language. “We have to make an effort to learn the language and prove that we are capable,” she said. Koenig went to study at the studio, and paved the way for her in Hebrew.
(Photo: Sivan Faraj)
“The whole event touches my heart because it takes me back, to all the stations of my life.” Koenig said in tears: “I’m excited because it brings me back to my parents, who didn’t get to see me in this position and they deserved it. All I have today and all I deserve is thanks to them.”
“But I’m happy. I tell them: thank you for giving me, thank you for giving me the opportunity to receive the thanks from the audience, because the greatest gift I’ve received is the love of the audience that accompanies me night after night. I want to thank everyone who accompanied me since I came to Israel, and there I have many friends that I need to thank, those who are by my side at every moment in my career and in my life.”
Her friends who were present at the event spoke in praise, including Gila Almagor, her old friend who said: “Before Shalia is a great actress, she is a human being.”
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