Yehuda Barkan
Encyclopedia
Yehuda Barkan is an Israeli actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

 and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...

.

Early life

Barkan was born in Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...

 and was initially named Yehuda Ezekiel Berkowitz. In his childhood Barkan studied at the Bialik and ORT
World ORT
World ORT is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish and other people through training and education, with past and present activities in over 100 countries....

 in schools in Netanya. During his military service in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

 Barkan served in a Combat Engineering Corps unit and in a the Northern Command Military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...

.

After his military service Barkan joined the Band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 "The Dizengoff Command Band" (להקת פיקוד דיזנגוף), a band which was based on the characteristics of an Israeli military band, which was composed of veteran members of military bands whom performed songs and skits.

In the early seventies, Barkan participated in a sketch on the successful Israeli radio show "Hamim VeTaim" (חמים וטעים) in which Barkan (as well as Moshe Timor, Shlomo Bar-Aba and others) made live prank calls. Further ahead in his career Barkan based his practical jokes films on this sketch.

Film career

During the 1970s and 1980s Barkan participated in many Israeli "Bourekas films", among them "Lupo!
Lupo!
Lupo! is a 1970 film directed by Menahem Golan. The script was co-written by Golan and Ken Globus.-Synopsis:His home slated to be torn down, his business in serious financial trouble and his only daughter poised to leave the nest with her wealthy fiancé, small-time Tel Aviv second hand store owner...

", "Lupo in New York", "Katz V'Carasso", "Charlie Ve'hetzi
Charlie Ve'hetzi
Charlie Ve'hetzi is a 1974 Israeli comedy and cult movie. The movie was directed byBoaz Davidson and stars Israeli comedians Yehuda Barkan and Ze'ev Revach.- Cast :...

", "Hagiga B'Snuker
Hagiga B'Snuker
Hagiga BaSnuker is a 1975 Israeli cult movie. The movie was directed by Boaz Davidson and stars Israeli comedians Ze'ev Revach, Yehuda Barkan and Yosef Shiloah.- Cast :...

","Bo Nefotzetz Million" and more. Other films he appeared in during that time include among others: "Malkat Hakvish" (1971) where he played alongside Gila Almagor
Gila Almagor
Gila Almagor is an Israeli actress, film star, and author.-Biography:Gila Almagor was born four months after the death of her father, Max Alexandrowitz, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who was killed by an Arab sniper while working as a policeman in Haifa...

, in Menachem Golan's film "Attack at Dawn" (1970) and in the film adaptation of the novel "He Walked Through the Fields" (1967) where he played alongside Assi Dayan
Assi Dayan
Asaf "Assi" Dayan is an Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.-Personal life:Assi Dayan is the youngest son of Israeli general and minister of defence Moshe Dayan and peace activist Ruth Dayan . He has two siblings: politician and author Yael Dayan, born 1939, and sculptor Ehud ...

.

During the 1980s Barkan began to direct and produce films, including the candid camera film "Hayeh Ahaltah Otah" (which he directed together with Yigal Shilon), "Nipagesh Bachof", "Nipagesh Basivuv", "Matzlema Bli Busha" and "Geveret Tiftehi, Ze Ani"). Also during the eighties Barkan produced and directed films comic drama films, most notably the "Abba Ganuv" film series and the film "Neshika Bametzach" released in 1990 where he played alongside Michal Yanai.

In 1993 Barkan filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

 due to the debts he accumulated after the failure of his 1993 film "Mehapeset Baal Al Arba".

In 1994, shortly after the start of Israeli commercial television channel Channel 2
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...

 began its broadcasting, Barkan started hosting his own practical jokes show called "Lo Dofkim Cheshbon". The show was cancelled shortly after.

In 1999 Barkan participated in two last films: "Look into my eyes" and "Volcano Junction", in which he played small supporting roles.

Return to religion

At the beginning of the 2000s Barkan gradually became closer to religion and eventually became a Baal Tshuva, embracing Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

. As a result Barkan became a Haredi Orthodox Jew and abandoned the secular
Hiloni
Hiloni , plural hilonim derived from the Hebrew word hulin, meaning secular or mundane, is the term used in Israel for non-religious Jews.As natives of Israel, hilonim speak Hebrew...

 Israeli film industry
Cinema of Israel
Cinema of Israel refers to movie production in Israel since its founding in 1948. Most Israeli films are produced in Hebrew. Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film than any other country in the Middle East....

 in order to realize his religious aspirations. After becoming a Baal Tshuva Barkan produced several films for the Israeli ultra-Orthodox population which distributed for home viewing only within the ultra-Orthodox community.

In 2003 Barkan part in the documentary film "Zehirut Matzlema" along with Nurit Geffen and Josie Katz.

In 2004 Barkan played in the drama series "Ahava BaShalechet" along with Leah Koenig.

In November 2008 Barkan was arrested by the Israeli Tax Authority on suspicion for tax evasion
Tax avoidance and tax evasion
Tax noncompliance describes a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system. These include tax avoidance, which refers to reducing taxes by legal means, and tax evasion which refers to the criminal non-payment of tax liabilities....

.

Private life

In 1975 Barkan got married. From his first marriage Barkan had three children. During the 1980s Barkan married again.

At the beginning of the 2000s Barkan became a Baal Tshuva, got married for the third time and moved to the religious moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...

 Beit Gamliel
Beit Gamliel
Beit Gamliel is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located south-east of Yavne, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Yavne Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 914....

 with his family. From his first marriage Barkan has four children.

External links

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