By Jeanette Friedman
NEW YORK –I’ve often told the story of how my father—a yeshiva bochur from Munkacs who loved the Yiddish theater—tied his cousin (female) to the back of his motorcycle and headed into Prague from Presov to see drama queen Ida Kaminska. When he got back to Presov, his uncle gave him a “mishebeyrach,” a blessing (not), that he never forgot. But seeing Kaminska emote in Yiddish on the stage was worth every “patch” (smack)! That love of Yiddish theater has been passed down to me, who finds the Yiddish theater as vital today as it was in my dad’s youth.
Just five years away from its centennial as the oldest theater in the USA and as a unique Jewish cultural icon, the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene (NYTF or fondly, the Folksbiene) is thriving in New York and around the country. It continuously celebrates the vivacity of Yiddish, brings Yiddish culture to every “vinkele” (every corner) of America. From the South Shore to the Deep South, from the Hamptons to LA, from Crown Heights to Cleveland, and from “da Bronks” to Dayton, NYTF is attracting younger, fresher audiences to a wealth of programs. What they’ve discovered in recent years is that you don’t need to be Jewish or speak Yiddish to love Yiddish theater—audiences and performers come from diverse backgrounds and adore the whole experience.
The NYTF’s 95th birthday party, From the Golden Land to the Promised Land, is an international gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center to be held on May 2nd, Lag B’Omer. It will honor Joel Klein, the chancellor of NYC’s Department of Education. Aaron Lansky, who began his renowned National Yiddish Book Center in Massachusetts by dumpster-diving on the Lower East Side and saving myriad Yiddish books from extinction, and Bryna Wasserman, artistic director of the Yiddish theater in Montreal, are both receiving Mlotek Prizes for their contributions to Yiddish culture. The gala will pay tribute to the considerable and significant contributions of the Mlotek family, whose Hurculean efforts, along with those of others, helped rescue Yiddish culture in North America from oblivion.
The dynamic Eleanor Reissa, who can belt out a song like Ethel Merman, and Emmy-Award winner Fyvush Finkel, who was just a tot when he first tripped the lights, will be the emcees. Fyvush, Allen Lewis Rickman and Yelena Shmulenson who opened the Academy Award nominated film, A Serious Man, with a 9-minute, all Yiddish scene, will present a musical memorial to the late great Mina Bern, who kept us laughing and crying until the very end.
Israeli superstar, Chava Alberstein is a headliner, as are the troupers of Yiddishpiel, who are coming from Tel Aviv to strut their stuff. Daniella Rabbani, Dani Marcus and the Gala Ensemble Performers, all young NYTF regulars, will shine in the footlights, as Frank London and his Klezmer Brass All Stars keep feet tapping and hands clapping.
Many a pundit has said Kaddish for the Folksbiene over the years, but it was “le’vatala” (in vain). Audiences have grown to the tens of thousands each year and include ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages. Supertitles in Russian and English accompany all performances, and true theater lovers want to catch old-timers like Theo Bikel before they retire or enjoy Reissa and Burstyn as they bring down the house.
Young parents bring their kids to rollick and roll at Kids and Yiddish every year at Chanukah time; traditionalists attend free stage readings of the classics. Folks have sought out the amazing comedy, Schlemiel The First, in the North Jersey suburbs and the outer boroughs of New York. They packed a theater in Dayton, Ohio to see a presentation of “Di Next Dorika,” and filled an auditorium in LA to sing along with Burstyn in “On Second Ave.” There’s always something for everyone.
Beginning May 25, Mike Burstyn will star in a five-week run of The Adventures of Hershele Ostropolyer, adapted and directed by Reissa. It’s about a natural comic who fights for truth and justice in ways not familiar to Superman/Clark Kent.
Kids and Yiddish, readings, performances around the country by The Troupe, stuff for free, a cabaret once a year that rivals a night at the best supper club in the city and an annual gala on the Great White Way that’s made up of great performances—that’s the grande dame of Yiddish theater, the Folksbiene in action. Not bad at all for an old lady.
NYTF entertainment, which gently educates all comers with “Yiddishkeit,” is available at the click of a mouse. Visit www.folksbiene.org to learn more about how to join in the fun and have a great theater experience.
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Friedman is metropolitan New York bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World