| Zaharira Harifai | |
| Native Name: | זהרירה חריפאי |
| Native Name Lang: | he |
| Birth Date: | 12 December 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine |
| Death Place: | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Resting Place: | Kibbutz Givat HaShlosha cemetery |
| Years Active: | 1968–2013 |
| Notable Works: | Happy End |
| Spouse: | Shlomo Shva |
| Children: | Aya Shva |
Zaharira Harifai (Hebrew: זהרירה חריפאי; December 12, 1929 – January 2, 2013) was an Israeli film, stage, and television actress and recipient of the Israel Prize in Theater, which she was awarded in 2003.[1] [2] The Jerusalem Post called her "one of Israel's most celebrated actresses."[2]
She was born and raised in Tel Aviv.[1] Her father, Haim Leib Harifai, immigrated from Russia in 1922. He became a journalist, but died of pneumonia when Harifai was four years old.[1] Harifai graduated from Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school in 1946 and then became a member of the first brigade of the Palmach battalion. She studied acting and theater at the "Hadramati" school, the drama school of the Cameri Theater.[1] [2] She joined the ensemble of the Cameri Theater in 1968 and remained at the theater until her death in 2013.[2]
In 2003, Harifai was awarded the Israel Prize for Theater.[2] She won the Best Actress in Theater award in 2011 for her role in the Anat Gov play, Happy End.[1]
Zaharira Harifai died from cancer at the age of 83 in Tel Aviv.[1] A memorial was held at the Cameri Theater.[1] She was buried at the Kibbutz Givat HaShlosha cemetery.[2] Harifai was survived by her husband, writer Shlomo Shva, daughter Aya Shva, a director and actress, and two grandchildren.[1]