The Stage of Her Life: Conversations with Actress Lea Koenig on Theater and Her Life

by Yaniv Shimon Goldberg

Overview

Lea Koenig, one of the most loved and appreciated Jewish actresses among audiences and critics alike, sat down with Dr. Yaniv Goldberg for conversations about theater and life. In the conversations, Lea talks about her experiences from World War II, life in a communist regime, the choice not to have children, her professional path, and her way of working on roles. She also discusses the choice to give up her mother tongue, Yiddish, and perform in Hebrew. Lea shares her perspective on Judaism, Zionism, and Israeliness, and about the way she observes the world.

In an exciting and humorous way, Lea recalls defining moments of her life, difficult moments and happy ones, weaves memory after memory, and discovers how life and the theater are intertwined, and as Shakespeare's cliché says, indeed, the whole world is a stage.

This story is the stage of the life of the great Israeli actress Lea Koenig.

And if you look closely, the tale reflects the stage of our lives...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798897830329
Publisher:	Academic Studies Press
Publication date:	02/10/2026
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook

About the Author

Dr. Yaniv Goldberg is a Rabbi, Attorney, Director, and Law and Theater Researcher. His book, I Shall Do It My Way, deals with the analysis of various legal issues arising from Yiddish plays.

Dr. Goldberg has published many articles about Jewish law and theater. He is a theater consultant for the "Anu," the museum of the Jewish people. Dr. Goldberg is also a member of the Habima National Theater Awards Committee, a member of the Israeli Society for Humor Study, and more.

Dr. Yaniv Goldberg is a Rabbi, Attorney, Director, and Law and Theater Researcher. His book, I Shall Do It My Way, deals with the analysis of various legal issues arising from Yiddish plays.

Dr. Goldberg has published many articles about Jewish law and theater. He is a theater consultant for the "Anu," the museum of the Jewish people. Dr. Goldberg is also a member of the Habima National Theater Awards Committee, a member of the Israeli Society for Humor Study, and more.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Knowing Where I Came from

The Parents

Yiddish or Hebrew

Theatrical Education of Yiddish Actors

What about Talent?

A Mother’s Review of the Game

Criticism of Acting Today

Chapter 2

World War II—From Czernowitz (Chernivtsi) to Samarkand

Bucharest—I’m Becoming an Actress

Personality and Charisma in Working on a Role

There Are Small Roles and There Are Big Roles

Chapter 3

Father and Stepfather

Zvi (Hirshl)

Why I Don’t Have Children

Chapter 4

Playing Anne Frank and Holocaust Remembrance

Creating a Role

Chapter 5

The Beginning of a Career in Israel

Learning Hebrew

Schund and Intrigue in Israel

Lea at Habima

Master Puntila and His Man Matti

Bereshit—the Great Success

The Klausner Prize

Growing Up on Stage

Bereshit

The Life before Us

Driving Miss Daisy—the Stage as a Reflection of Life

Chapter 6

King Lear

The Chairs and Theater of the Absurd

Mother Courage and Mother Dina

Yiddish Concert Tours Abroad

Chapter 7

The Parents

Character Actress

Grocery Store

Between King Lear and Mirele Efros, the Jewish Queen Lear

Chapter 8

Mirele Efros and the Israel Prize

The Israel Prize

Lea Koenig and Miriam Zohar Alternate in the Roles of Mirele Efros and Machle

A Tour Guide to Warsaw

Hirshl (Zvi)

Chapter 9

Feeling Israeli

Chapter 10

Entering the Stage and Performing

The Old Lady’s Visit

Speaking on Stage

Acting Development and Professionalism

Chapter 11

Being Old

I’m a Comedian

Being a Partner on Stage and Dedication to the Profession

Chapter 12

The Theater Taught Me How to Live

Hanoch Levin

Understanding the Stage Space

What about Television and Cinema?

Each Role Left Its Mark

Survival

Chapter 13

Four Years Later: Reflections

Epilogue

Lea Koenig—The First Lady of the Theater and Always Dina’s Daughter

Between the Two Languages

The Defining Childhood

Passing the Baton from Mother to Daughter

The Choice—Hebrew

The Pursuit of Truth

The Yiddish Actress Is Making a Comeback

The Ghosts Echoing in the Theater

Breakthroughs in Artistic Life in Israel

Appendices

Dina Koenig

Yosef Kamien

Lea Koenig’s Theater Roles

Lea Koenig’s Music Albums

From Lea’s Photo Album

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"This unusual volume is an important contribution to rebuilding the broken bridge from the Yiddish past to the Yiddish future. It is an oral history, yet it has been written down and meticulously annotated. The interviewer is a knowledgeable scholar, but also a close friend of the subject. Thanks to this combination of spontaneous orality and written precision, scholarly rigor and personal trust, readers are treated to a range of professional and personal insights and experiences that rarely make it into print. This treatment accords this history, and the singular figure of Lea Koenig, the respect they deserve."

—Jake Schneider, Yiddish cultural activist and poet

“This book offers a rare opportunity to encounter one of the most important Yiddish actresses of recent generations, who continues the tradition of Yiddish theater as it developed before World War II. Lea Konig’s tumultuous life story unfolds the history of the Jewish people from the war and the refugees in Uzbekistan, through Jewish and theatrical life under communism, to the world of Israeli theater. The struggles she faced—against the Communist regime and later the Israeli establishment—mirror broader battles within Jewish and Yiddish culture. The author’s outstanding scholarly work enriches the reader’s understanding of the cultural, historical, social, political, and legal contexts of Yiddish theater, offering unique insights into the challenges and transformations that shaped its survival. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Jewish history, theater studies, or the enduring legacy of Yiddish culture in the modern era.”

— Dr. Shaul Sharf, Lecturer in Law at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot, Israel, and Editor of "Rashut Ha'Rabim" Legal Journal

From the Publisher