Mosko Alkalai

Mosko Alkalai was born in 1931 in Bucharest

Alkalai was born in 1931 in Bucharest, Romania, to a Sephardi Jewish family known for publishing and bookselling. When World War II began, he was expelled from school because he was Jewish, and his father was sent to forced labor.

He studied acting at the theater faculty of the University of Bucharest and earned a master's degree. From 1948 to 1962 he worked at the National Theater in Bucharest. After he was dismissed, he learned Yiddish and acted at the State Jewish Theater.

He moved to Israel with his wife in January 1962 and joined the Cameri Theater. He later acted at the Zavit theater, at Orna Porat's children's theater, and from 1975 at Habima, where he stayed until he retired in 1993. His films included Blaumilch Canal, The Fox in the Chicken Coop and Yana's Friends.

He chaired the Israeli Union of Performing Arts from 1987 to 1993 and sat on the National Council for Culture and Art. In 2001 he founded an association to promote Israel-Romania culture. He kept acting in his later years, at Karov Theater and elsewhere.

He was married to actors' agent Rodika Alkalai, and they had two sons, Ron and Shai. He died of respiratory failure in Tel Aviv in 2008 and was buried at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery.