Moni Ovadia, a writer and performer, was born in Bulgaria and studied in Milan, where he began his activity as a musician and singer. In 1984 he began his stage career under the direction of T. Kantor, F. Parenti, G. Marini. From 2004 to 2008 he was Director of the Mittelfest festival. Well known for his long-standing commitment in favor of peace and human rights, Moni Ovadia has authored a number of books: L’ebreo che ride (1998); Ballata di fine millennio (2000); Contro l’idolatria e Oylem Goylem (2005); Lavoratori di tutto il mondo, ridete (2007); Vai a te stesso (2008); Il conto dell’Ultima Cena (2010); Madre Dignità (2012) per Einaudi; Il coniglio di Hitler e il cilindro del demagogo (2016); Perchè no? L’ebreo corrosivo (2017) per La nave di Teseo. He is credited with familiarizing the Italian audience with the uniqueness of Yiddish culture.