Beloved Israeli theater and film actor Yaakov (Yankele) Ben Sira passed away Thursday morning at the age of 88. He died of cardiac arrest at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital.
Over his five-decade-long career, Ben Sira acted in dozens of films and plays and is considered a stalwart of Israeli culture.
He is best known for his roles in popular films like "Sallah Shabati," "Kazablan," "He Walked Through the Fields," "Lupo in New York," "Ervinka," and "A Bit of Luck."
Ben Sira also regularly graced stages across the country, acting in theatrical productions at Habima, the Cameri Theater, the Haifa Municipal Theater and the former Ohel Theater.
He appeared in acclaimed plays such as Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Brecht's "The Good Person of Szechwan," and Moliere's "The Miser."
Ben Sira was born in 1927 in Brussels, Belgium. After his father was sent to a Nazi labor camp in 1942, Ben Sira escaped to Switzerland. In 1945, at age 18, he immigrated to Israel with the help of Youth Aliyah.
He was the only member of his immediate family to the survive the Holocaust.
A memorial ceremony will be held Friday morning at 10:30 at the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv. The funeral is being held at 12:00 p.m. in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery.