The EAJC expresses its condolences on the passing of Evgeny Aryeh

The EAJC mourns the passing of the legendary Israeli director, founder, and artistic director of the Gesher Theater, Evgeny Aryeh. He passed away at the age of 74. In recent months, he was gravely ill and underwent surgery in the United States.

Evgeny Aryeh was born in Moscow in 1947. He graduated from the Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University and subsequently studied at the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music, and Cinematography (LGITMiK) under Georgy Tovstonogov. Upon graduation, he worked at the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT), the Leningrad Maly Drama Theater, and the Moscow Mayakovsky Theater, and also directed television plays. For his work, Evgeny Aryeh was honored with several awards both in Russia and internationally.

In 1990, Evgeny Aryeh immigrated to Israel, where he founded the Gesher Theater. Initially, the core of the theater troupe consisted of actors from the former Soviet Union. Numerous theatrical productions directed by Evgeny Aryeh achieved great acclaim in Israel and abroad. He served as the theater's artistic director from its inception until 2019.

Evgeny Aryeh was a four-time winner of the Israel Theater Academy Award for Best Director and was twice recognized as the set designer for his own productions. For his outstanding contributions to the development of Israeli theatrical art, Evgeny Aryeh was awarded honorary doctorates by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, as well as an honorary fellowship from the Ruppin Academic Center.

In November 2011, Evgeny Aryeh was named a laureate of the 16th Stanislavsky International Theater Prize in the "Events of the Season" category. The award was presented for the Sovremennik Theater's production of "Enemies: A Love Story," based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Evgeny Aryeh later received Russia's premier national theater award, the Golden Mask, for directing this production.

The leadership of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress extends their deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Evgeny Aryeh. May his memory be a blessing!