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Gita Luka (Hebrew: ג'טה לוקה‎; 5 September 1921 – 22 August 2001) was an Israeli actress, comedian and singer.

Biography

Born in Romania, Luka had an impoverished childhood in a Jewish ghetto. She began attending and participating in Yiddish theatre groups when she reached her early 20s. In 1948, Luka and her family emigrated to Israel after surviving the Holocaust and made her career debut as a singer at the beginning of the War of Independence. Aside from performing songs in Hebrew, Luka also performed in Yiddish and Romanian.

Luka performed frequently as a singer in satire sketches at the Li-La-Lo Theatre and she starred in numerous musical adaptations of plays such as Heidi in 1969. She also made appearances at the Habima Theatre as well as at Hasimta Theatre and the Haifa Theatre. On screen, Luka participated in films such as Kazablan, One Pound Only and The Flying Matchmaker.

In 1988, Luka suffered a minor stroke and another one in 1995, which slowed down her ability to perform and eventually forced her to retire. She also underwent financial problems during the 1983 Israel bank stock crisis. Family friends of Luka organised a fundraiser to support her nursing home expenses. She was also financially supported by the Israeli Artists Association.

Personal life

Luka married two times. From her first husband, she had one daughter, Rachel. She also had four grandchildren.

Death

Luka died following a stroke in Netanya on August 22, 2001, at age 79. She was interred at Yarkon Cemetery.

References

1. Gita Luka’s filmography (in Hebrew)
2. ג'טה לוקה, zemer.nli.org.il. Retrieved June 15, 2020 (in Hebrew)
3. "נפטרה השחקנית ג'טה לוקה" (in Hebrew). Ynet. August 22, 2001. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
4. "נזכור את ג'טה לוקה" (in Hebrew). gogay.co.il. August 23, 2001. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

External links

• Gita Luka at IMDb

• 1921 births
• 2001 deaths
• Romanian emigrants to Israel
• Romanian Jews in Israel
• Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent
• Israeli stage actresses
• Israeli television actresses
• Israeli film actresses
• Israeli musical theatre actresses
• Israeli female comedians
• Jewish Israeli actresses
• Jewish Israeli musicians
• Jewish Israeli comedians
• Jewish female comedians
• Jewish women singers
• Yiddish theatre performers
• Nazi-era ghetto inmates
• Burials at Yarkon Cemetery
• 20th-century Israeli women singers
• 20th-century Israeli actresses
• 20th-century Israeli comedians
• 20th-century Israeli Jews
• 21st-century Israeli Jews