Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel
Theodore Meir Bikelwas an Austrian-American Jewish actor, folk singer, musician, composer, and activist...
NationalityAustrian
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth2 May 1924
CityVienna, Austria
CountryAustria
appeal awe capacity filled filmmakers stir visceral
I am filled with awe that filmmakers have the capacity to stir us and give us a sense of wonder. Film, like no other medium, makes a visceral appeal to our humanity.
beauty heaps hopelessly manure sing tried work worker
I tried for a while to be an agricultural worker and was hopelessly bored. I would stand around in heaps of manure and sing about the beauty of the work I wasn't doing.
claim cultures jewish superior
I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures or that the Jewish song is better than the song of my neighbor.
flops learn
You learn more from the flops than you do from the hits.
mere
No doubt, unity is something to be desired, to be striven for, but it cannot be willed by mere declarations.
believe word
'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really.
hate gun bombs
We live in a world of guns, bombs and terror. To conquer hate seems a nigh-impossible task.
movement caught warp
No movement can afford to be caught in a time warp and exist in a state of suspended animation.
perception world paper
Right up to the middle of this century all perceptions of the world around us were delivered via the bookshelf or the paper route.
children israel hymns
But there is a difference here: When Jewish children are murdered, Arabs celebrate the deed. The death of an Arab child is no cause for celebration in Israel.
artist theatre labels
Despite a large body of work in films, TV, theatre and concerts, I am viewed by many as a Jewish artist. I do not resent the label, except for the fact that I disapprove of labels in general.
world might way
One might have thought the world would stop ascribing moral equivalence between acts of terrorism and acts of punishing terrorism. It has not happened that way.
book attachment age
We Jews have a special attachment to the Book. The study of page after page in tomes yellowing with age was obligatory.
moving pride other-cultures
What moves me is neither ethnocentric pride nor sectarian arrogance. I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures. But it is mine.