A Puppeteer with a Mission: Rabbi Shragi Charach's Inspiring Performances

"Wait, is it you speaking or the puppet? How is it possible to hear your voice without seeing your lips move? How do you do it?" wonders commonly heard by Rabbi Shragi Charach. With a smile, he shares that he’s heard them countless times.

For 22 years, Rabbi Shragi has been enchanting audiences of children from all backgrounds. "Don’t ask me to introduce myself," he quips, "I suffer from complete Split Personality Disorder. In every show, I take on a wide range of characters and manage to portray a vast array of personalities. In reality, I’m just a regular guy striving to be a good husband and devoted father, spending my time performing and bringing joy to children and adults. Sometimes I take this mission farther than one might imagine, leading to fascinating and thrilling experiences."

A Moment of Purpose

Rabbi Shragi was born in the USA but moved to Israel with his family when he was eight. "My father sold all his businesses in the US to fulfill the dream—to study Torah in Israel," he recounts. "Dad was serious, but I remember dressing up in a costume one Purim and doing funny gestures, making him laugh heartily, an unexpected reaction that made me realize if I could make Dad laugh, maybe I was really good."

"Since then, my acting skills came into play during Purim festivals and various school gatherings. It became clear that people were drawn to my energy, asking me to write scripts, star in roles, or even direct them. I enthusiastically took on these tasks, and the feedback was always great. But it was only after getting married that I started considering this hobby as a potential way to earn a living."

How did that idea come about?

"Like many others, I was studying in a kolel while my wife was teaching. At one point, we really needed some money and didn’t know where it would come from. My wife then suggested, 'You’re an actor; why don’t you prepare a show and perform for kids?' She painted the set for me, and we advertised. There was an enormous appetite; tons of kids showed up, and when the show ended, they asked, 'When’s the next one?' One show led to another."

As a religious man, did you ever get formal acting training?

"No, I didn’t study acting at any school, neither in Israel nor abroad. But experience is indeed the best teacher. After countless shows and thousands of hours performing over 22 years, I've grown into a completely different league. Now, I also perform internationally, including across the USA, where expectations are high. Fortunately, with Hashem's help, I receive favorable feedback from the field's most professional critics. I firmly believe that Hashem blessed me with this innate talent and has provided me with opportunities to hone it through experience."

The 'Boy with the Long Nose'

Rabbi Shragi's performances are not only professional, engaging, and humorous, but they also convey messages. "That’s my goal," he explains. "I'm aware that children connect with the characters and puppets, so when they 'say something', it holds more weight and significance than if just any adult were speaking. Therefore, every performance is accompanied by a message, and I often introduce themes based on what's happening, responding to what I observe in the audience."

Care to give an example?

"Recently, I was invited to perform for an audience where a somewhat differently-abled child in a wheelchair was present. I noticed the other kids looking at him and even laughing, which bothered me. Mid-performance, I paused everything, and my puppet Benji looked inquisitively at the audience and asked, 'Who is the boy with such a long nose?' I replied, 'I don’t know; there are many children here, but even if there is someone with a long nose, who do you think made him that way?' The kids shouted: 'Hashem did.' I echoed the message, explaining to Benji that laughing at the boy was like laughing at the Creator, G-d forbid. By the end of the show, when the children were leaving, I noticed the change—no one pointed or said anything to the child in the wheelchair. That boy had no idea the story was sparked by his presence, but it was crucial for me to impart this message, just as I do on many topics. I often discuss faith and trust, especially since the war broke out and we all need strength in these areas. I demonstrate my hand inside the puppet; if I remove it, the puppet collapses, which illustrates how we are in Hashem’s hands, as He guides and sustains us."

What challenges do you still encounter after so many years in the field?

"The biggest challenge is physical exertion. Performing requires giving not just 100% but 200% of yourself. With three or four shows a day, it becomes truly tough. Plus, performances are primarily during school breaks—holidays, Chol HaMoed, Chanukah, Purim, and summer break. These are the times I want to be with my own family."

"What keeps me going is the mission. Seeing the kids before and after the show, hearing from school principals who tell me, 'What we try to teach them for years, you managed to convey in one show,' gives me immense energy."

"What Did You Do to the Child?"

Understanding himself as a messenger with the power to pass on messages led Rabbi Shragi in recent years to create weekly videos with short messages about the week's Torah portion. "These videos have a wide reach," he notes, "and I meet parents who constantly tell me how much their children enjoy them while learning about the week's Torah portion."

An interesting story about these videos: "I was invited to perform for a group of adults at a major bank in Israel. After the show, the CEO, a secular man, approached me, saying he enjoyed it immensely. I boldly sent him a weekly Torah portion video following the performance, and he loved it. 'It’s my first time knowing the Torah portion of the week, thanks to you,' he wrote. Since then, I send him the videos regularly, and he continues to watch and even responds."

There are particularly moving stories, too, which deeply impact him every time. "One performance was for children with special needs at an 'Ezer Mizion' camp," he recalls. "I noticed a smart kid who couldn’t speak. In a moment’s decision, I called him to the stage, had him wear a mask, making it seem the mask was speaking, and addressing his counselor, 'I want to say how much I appreciate what you do for me, and here's the chance to thank you as I can’t find the words.' I saw the boy behind the mask, crying. It was clear these were the words he wished to convey, and his counselor cried as well. I was deeply moved, realizing Hashem had put the right words in my mouth."

"In another instance, I was invited to a home of a child with cancer to cheer him up. He was a five-year-old kid, but because of what he went through, he seemed much older. Before entering, I prayed: 'Master of the World, I didn’t come for money or recognition. I came to truly bring joy to your child. Now I am your puppet; help me find the right words.'"

"I entered the home and sat casually on the couch, eyes closed but animating the puppet from the side, speaking 'from the stomach' as if the puppet was conversing, not me. The puppet asked personal questions I couldn’t ask as a person. Things like the hair loss, the treatments, injections, and the child opened up, talking to the puppet. After almost an hour, I left the home, and the parents followed, tearfully saying, 'He’s a child who doesn’t speak or engage with anyone.' The nurses and medical staff asked them, 'What did you do to him?' because that conversation had liberated him, allowing him to express himself as never before. During times like these, I tell myself: 'Forget money and earnings, for these moments alone, it’s worth every effort.'"