The man who made Tevye famous

By Sheila Orysiek

SAN DIEGO — In the late 1800’s, a man who lived in a shtetel (small town) near Kiev (Russia) wrote a story about his milkman, Tevya. It was an unlikely story written in an unlikely language. At that time Jewish writers wrote either in Hebrew or the language of the country within which they lived. Yiddish, the homespun language of European Jews, was considered unworthy as a vehicle for literature. Sholom Aleichem proved that assumption to be wrong and his stories about his milkman became the world famous Fiddler on the Roof.

The author’s real name was Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, and he earned an erratic living through various failed business ventures which he inherited from his father-in-law. He struggled to support a large family, but his heart was not in business. Every hour he could spare, often through the long cold Russian nights, was spent writing his stories – which he did while standing.

Though eventually his writings became hugely popular this did not translate into sufficient earnings to keep him solvent. Publishers abroad did not reimburse him for the use of his work. However, it did make Yiddish acceptable as a vehicle for literature and subsequent writers were able to earn a living. Eventually, Isaac Bashevis Singer won a Nobel Prize for Literature for his work in Yiddish and he spoke in Yiddish when he accepted the prize in Oslo.

My Father, Sholom Aleichem.  written by his daughter, Marie Waife-Goldberg, is an intimate view of this iconic author. He was called the “Jewish Mark Twain” – and Mark Twain, himself, agreed! By the time of his death in 1916, his work had been translated into dozens of languages. More than 100,000 people attended his funeral in New York City; the largest up until that time.

Fiddler on the Roof has played all over the world and is especially popular in Japan. A Japanese producer expressed wonder that Americans could enjoy a story that is “so Japanese.”

Publishers: Sholom Aleichem Family (October 1, 1999)

*
Orysiek is a freelance writer who specializes in arts and literature.  Comments may be made in the space provided below this article or sent to the author at sheila.orysiek@sdjewishworld.com