For the last two decades, puppeteer Yitzchak Azoulai has been inspiring a generation of children from behind the scenes, while an invisible hand gives his heroes a life of their own
OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT Azoulai’s puppets lie flat and inert in a suitcase but once the music starts and he begins to manipulate those invisible cords from behind the dolls come to life telling stories of ancient goodness and modern faith. For Azoulai working his puppets in the dark is just fine. “I never sought the spotlight. I always preferred to play my music in the background” (Photos: Ouria Tadmor David Danberg)
Yitzchak Azoulai’s puppets lie flat and inert in a suitcase but once the music starts and he begins to manipulate those invisible cords from behind the dolls come to life telling stories of ancient goodness and modern faith. For the last two decades singer-songwriter Azoulai has been inspiring a generation of children from behind the scenes while an invisible hand gives his heroes a life of their own
How can a few floppy ragdolls on a string transform a two-dimensional story line into a dynamic 3-D production that fires kids’ imaginations and teaches them good middos at the same time?
When Yitzchak Azoulai opens his suitcase and you peek at those inanimate lifeless little puppets folded up and lying flat it’s hard to believe that in just a few minutes these creations of papier-maché sawdust and glue will become larger-than-life personalities that have already inspired an entire generation of children. There isn’t an Israeli cheder or Bais Yaakov student of the past two decades who isn’t familiar with the characters of Yanky with the hole in his pocket Reb Hershele and his Yom Tov adventures evil pashas and righteous scholars — all of whom take on their own memorable personas while Azoulai pulls the strings in the background.
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