Introduction: Renown Actors of the Yiddish Stage

Yiddish theatre originated in 1876 in Iasi, Romania, when Abraham Goldfaden produced a performance in Shimen Mark's wine garden. Goldfaden is known as the "Father of Yiddish Theatre" and is credited with founding the world's first professional Yiddish-language theatre troupe.

The plays that were performed on the Yiddish stage were mainly written by Jews in the Yiddish language, which was the primary language that Jews in the Ashkenazi communities usually spoke in Central and Easten Europe.

The Yiddish theatre, however, did not exist solely in the Central and Eastern European countries, but also in any country that was home to the Jewish Diaspora, whether it be in the major cities of Western Europe, such as Paris, London or Berlin, or in South or Central America, such as in Buenos Aires or Mexico City.

Yiddish theatre also became very popular among the Jewish immigrants who lived in the United States, especially New York City, who resided on the teeming Lower East Side of Manhattan. At one time there were at least fourteen or fifteen Yiddish theatres that actively staged Yiddish plays in New York City.

It has been debated as to when the first Yiddish theatre production in the United States took place, but consensus has it that it was either in 1881 or 1882 and occurred at a location somewhere on the Lower East Side. 

The Yiddish play was very popular with the masses, and it achieved great success, and from then on, for many decades, found its audience, most often with the Yiddish-speaking, Jewish audience who had immigrated from Europe.

There were many men who have occupied the highest rank in Yiddish theatre. Although Boris Thomashefsky, was the first, others appeared on the Yiddish stage in later years, such as the great Jacob P Adler, Maurice Schwartz, Rudolph Schildkraut et al. There were many fine Yiddish actors, too many to mention here. Many of them emigrated from Europe to find success in the States. Some achieved great stardom.

This exhibition is about just some of the most famous of our male Yiddish actors. The Museum will tell you a bit of their history and speak of their praises written by theatre critics and colleagues alike.

Shall we begin?

The Museum would like to offer the following citations:

Zalmen Zylbercweig, "The Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre," biographies and articles translated by Steven Lasky.

The Jewish Forward 

The New York Times

The Museum of the City of New York 

The New York Public Library Digital Collection

Wikipedia 

© Steven Lasky, 2024

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