Menahem Gnessin

Menahem Gnessin was born in 1882 in Starodub

Menahem Gnessin was born in 1882 in Starodub, in the Russian Empire. His father, Rabbi Yehoshua Natan, headed yeshivas and was among the leaders of Chabad. He was the younger brother of the writer Uri Nissan Gnessin.

In 1903 he moved to the Land of Israel and worked as a laborer and teacher in the colonies. He began acting there and was active in the Hebrew stage group in Jaffa. In 1912 he went to Poland and acted with a Hebrew theater troupe.

In 1917 he founded Habima in Moscow together with Nahum Zemach and Hanna Rovina. In those years he also taught Hebrew to the children of Yitzhak Leib Goldberg. He left Habima in 1923 and returned to the Land of Israel, where he helped found the Eretz Israel Theater as an actor and director.

When Habima came to the country in 1928, he rejoined it. He acted in the Hebrew film Oded the Wanderer, taught acting and wrote on theater under several pen names. He published a memoir about his path in Hebrew theater.

He died in Tel Aviv in 1951 and was buried in Nahalat Yitzhak Cemetery. He left two daughters. Habima later created a prize in his name.