Moshe Lobel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moshe Lobel | |
|---|---|
 Moshe Lobel at the theatrical premiere of Shttl in Kyiv, Ukraine. | |
| Occupation | Actor • director • producer • musician |
Moshe Lobel is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He is best known for starring in the Yiddish-Ukrainian drama Shttl, which premiered at the London Film Festival[1] and in competition at the Rome Film Festival.[2][3]
Lobel received praise from critics for his breakout performance in Shttl, who called it "masterful"[4] and "captivating."[5] French newspaper Le Figaro writes, "In the role of Mendele, American actor Moshe Lobel is mesmerizing. With remarkable sensitivity, he embodies a man caught between two violently opposing worlds.”[6]
Lobel was raised in the insular Yiddish-speaking Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn.[7] At age 12, he began to break away from his Hasidic roots, ultimately leaving the community entirely.[8] He studied psychology at Yeshiva University, but switched his focus to theater,[9] before leaving the school in his second year.[7]
Career
In 2017, Lobel made his Off-Broadway debut as Ralph in New Yiddish Rep's production of Awake and Sing! by Clifford Odets.[8][10][11] In 2018, he made his television debut on HBO's High Maintenance.[12] Later that year, he joined the cast of Fiddler on the Roof In Yiddish directed by Joel Grey,[13] and appeared in The Vigil from Blumhouse.[14]
With writer Etai Shuchatowitz, Lobel co-created, directed and starred in Untold Genius, a mockumentary series featuring Jackie Hoffman and Stephen Tobolowsky.[12]
In 2021, he was cast as the lead in Shttl, a Yiddish drama featuring Saul Rubinek. The film depicts the lives of a Jewish shtetl on the eve of Operation Barbarossa. It was filmed in Ukraine six months before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[15] The film premiered at the 2022 London Film Festival,[1][16] and won the Audience Award one week later at the Rome Film Festival.[17]