By Ren Feldman
SAN DIEGO — This past Sunday, a group of bubbies, babies, and everyone in between gathered to celebrate the one year anniversary of YAAANA, Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America hosted by the group’s founder, Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. The intergenerational gala kicked off with a schmoozy cocktail hour, mingling among San Diego’s Yiddishkeit mishpoche, and noshing on gefilte fish.
As the highlight of the event, YAAANA’s Yiddish Theater Workshop class performed a snippet of the Yiddish play, Power by Leah Hoffman, in its original language. In the teaser trailer, two personified powers, Electricity, elegant and jovial, and Steam, a cranky pessimist, bicker about how to go through life; Steam, feeling old, disapproves his much younger cousin’s tendency to “dance through life.” The scene is reminiscent of that intergenerational schism we’re all so familiar with. The short but humorous scene was followed by a reception where Mazurkiewicz shared some fascinating information about the author and the remainder of the play.
Very little is known about Hoffman, a Yiddish children’s writer from the 1930s, including how to spell her name; the play had not even been translated into English until this past year. Mazurkiewicz conjects that because Hoffman was a female, Jewish, and Yiddish-literate writer in the 30’s, Power had not been staged until this production by YAAANA. Mazurkiewicz shared that these are some of the reasons she chose to produce this specific play. Pressed by audience members, Mazurkiewicz shared that in the rest of the play, the two characters will be joined by more personified entities and a slave “from the history books” to discuss happiness and the technological bondage that we experience today. This play has a unique and troubling perspective on life that makes one ponder the state of one’s own happiness and question the basic constructs of modern civilization.
Following this existential presentation, guests mentally digested the 90-something year old composition as bellies and palates physically digested classic kugels, lip-smacking kroyt salad, gravy ladened chicken legs, and a fruity, creamy vanilla cake.
Power will be performed in its entirety this December. To learn more about YAAANA, participate in a weekly Yiddish theater workshop, help with the play’s production, or become a volunteer, email Jana at yaaana.org@gmail.com.
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Feldman is a freelance writer active within the YAAANA organization.