Israel Becker
Directing
Biography
Israel Becker was a Polish-born Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter, notable for his contributions to early Israeli cinema. Born in Łódź, Poland, he began his artistic career in the Yiddish theater. After surviving the Holocaust, Becker immigrated to Israel, where he wrote, directed, and starred in Long Is the Road (1948), recognized as the first feature film to depict the Holocaust from a Jewish perspective. This groundbreaking work was followed by Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955), in which he played a leading role, further establishing his place in Israeli film history. Becker's work is characterized by its poignant exploration of Jewish identity and the human experience during and after the Holocaust. He passed away in Tel Aviv on October 30, 1995.
Known For
The first feature film to represent the Holocaust from a Jewish perspective. Shot on location at Landsberg, the largest DP camp in U.S.-occupied Germany, and mixing neorealist and expressionist styles, the film follows a Polish Jew and his family from pre-war Warsaw through Auschwitz and the DP camps.
Long Is the Road
The town matchmaker searches for an honest match for Carolina, the daughter of a wealthy man. He finds it in the bumbling, stuttering Kuni Lemel, who has a remarkable resemblance to her lover, Max. Things go south when two Kuni Lemels arrive in town.
Two Kuni Lemel
A moving portrait of Israel Becker, a founder of the first professional Yiddish theatrical company in post-war Germany and writer and star of the 1946 autobiographic feature film Long is the Road (restored by NCJF), the first feature to portray the Holocaust from a Jewish point of view.