Samy Molcho

Samy Molcho (born 1936) is an Israeli mime and an expert in body language communication. He was professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts and at Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Austria until 2004.

He studied dance and mime in Israel. From 1952 he was a dancer at the city theatre of Jerusalem. In 1956 he became a solo dancer (modern dance) in Tel Aviv. In 1960 his first mime performance took place. He performed in more than 50 countries on four continents. In 1987 he did his last tour as a mime. Since then he has been concentrating on body language communication. He has published several books and has held many workshops. He is a practitioner and exponent of the Barrault-Marceau classical style of mime.

He is now a citizen of Austria. He has been married since 1978 and has four sons.

Biography

Samy Molcho, born 1936 in Tel Aviv, has added purely psychological and dramatic elements to the art of mime. As a delegate in the frame of cultural exchange, he successfully represented Austria in many countries. Since 1978 he is married to German-born Haya Heinrich. He has four sons, Nuriel, Elior, Ilan and Nadiv. Since 1980 Samy Molcho teaches at the International Summer Academy for Mime and Body Language in Vienna, with over 180 national and international participants each year.

Solomon Molcho

Solomon Molcho (Hebrew: שלמה מולכו‎ Shelomo Molkho), or Molko, originally Diogo Pires, (1500 – 13 December 1532) was a Portuguese mystic and pseudomessiah. A "New Christian" who converted to Judaism, Molcho declared himself the Messiah, was convicted of apostasy by the Inquisition and was ordered burned at the stake.

Early life

Molcho was born a Christian to Marrano parents in Portugal about 1500. His baptismal name probably was Diogo Pires. He held the post of secretary in one of the higher courts of his native country. When the Jewish adventurer David Reubeni came ostensibly on a political mission from Khaibar (Peshawar) to Portugal, Molcho wished to join him, but was rejected. He then circumcised himself, though without thereby gaining Reubeni's favor, and emigrated to Turkey.

Occult studies

Molcho was a believer in dream interpretation who studied the Kabbalah with Joseph Taitazak and became acquainted with Joseph Caro. He then wandered as a preacher through Italy, Turkey and Ottoman Syria, where he achieved a great reputation and announced that the Messianic kingdom would come in 1540. In 1529 Molcho published a portion of his sermons under the title Derashot, or Sefer ha-Mefo'ar. Going to Italy, he was opposed by prominent Jews including Jacob Mantino ben Samuel, who feared that he might mislead other Jews. He was given an audience before Pope Clement VII, having gained his favor, as well as that of some Judeophile cardinals at Rome. He was said to have predicted a certain flood which inundated Rome and various other places. After his many cabalistic and other strange experiments, Molcho felt justified in proclaiming himself the Messiah, or his precursor.