Etienne Debel

Etienne Debel was born in 1931 in Izegem

Etienne Debel was born in 1931 in Izegem, in the Flemish part of Belgium. He attended a Catholic school, and his parents meant for him to become a priest.

At 16, with help from a priest who taught him, he went to study drama in Ghent. He graduated with honors from a drama academy in Antwerp and then played lead roles in a local theatre.

At 23 he founded his own theatre in Brussels, the Flemish Theatre, and toured Flanders with his actors in a pickup truck. He closed it in 1962 for financial reasons and became a director for Flemish television.

He met Ruth Koppel in Brussels in 1958, later moved to Israel, converted to Judaism and married her in 1964. In Israel he directed plays at Habima and Ohel, worked on the founding team of Israeli television and set up a theatre at the Hebrew University. In 1970 he served briefly in the IDF.

From 1973 to 1990 he ran the Debel Gallery in Ein Karem with his wife. He returned to directing in 1989 and died in 1993. He was buried at Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.