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Google on Sunday published a Doodle of the late Israeli cinema creator, actress and social activist Ronit Elkabetz to mark her 58th birthday.
Elkabetz’s Doodle replaces the logo of Google’s search engine. Whoever visits the site in Israel and France on Sunday, November 27, will see it and get to know Ronit’s contribution to cinema and to women rights in Israel and around the world.
The illustration, created by the Israeli artist Maya Shleifer, shows the image of Ronit as the iconic movie star that she was alongside her groundbreaking work behind the camera as a writer, director and producer
Born in the southern city of Be'er Sheva into a religious Moroccan Jewish family, Elkabetz gained recognition for her work in the movie trilogy "To Take a Wife," "Shiva," and "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem," which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
The work is the first authentic depiction of a Sephardic Jewish family in Israeli films, and highlights the challenges faced by Jewish women who are denied a divorce by the rabbinical court.
The trilogy had a tremendous impact on Israeli society and culture, featuring the first authentic portrayal of a Mizrahi family in Israeli cinema and promoting the plight of Jewish women denied a divorce in the rabbinical court system in Israel.
Elkabetz was nominated for thirteen Ophir Awards (the Israeli Oscars) over the course of her career and earned dozens of awards in film festivals around the world. She was also awarded the French Legion of Honor for her work and served as the President of the Jury in La Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes film festival in 2015.
"We're used to looking for answers on Google's blank homepage, so when it changes it's like it's winking at you and becoming more human," said Shlomi Elkabetz, director, actor and producer, and brother of Ronit Elkabetz.
"I believe that Ronit would have been touched by this tribute in Israel and in France, where she lived and created. Ronit's cinema, the roles she created, have always represented her aspiration to speak on behalf of women to promote change and equality. To think that millions of people in Europe and Israel will remember her and her values or get to know her for the first time is a great thing," he added.
"Along with celebrating the unique talent of Ronit Elkabetz, the Doodle we are releasing today in Israel and France is a reminder of Ronit's courage and legacy as an artist who wrote, directed and performed the women's struggle for freedom and equality," said Barak Regev, director of Google Israel. "Our Doodles spotlight remarkable people and are meant to bring joy, and I'm sure millions of people in Israel and France will be happy to see that we mark Ronit's birthday."
Elkabetz died of lung cancer in 2016 at the age of 51.
i24NEWS contributed to the story