56 Friday, July 29 1977

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

TheBright Star: The Glory That Was the Yiddish Theatre

A Review by

thing new. is a deep part of loves a dance. Mogulesko
the creative artist, and this
danced. and when he danc ,
"Bright Star of Exile: desire Kessler always had.
ed the hosid at his holiday
Jacob Adler and the Yidd- Even if he did know his
the Jew himself danced, the
ish Theatre," (Crowell), by lines, he knew the charac-
whole Jewish nation was
ter, knew the inner feelings
Lulla Rosenfeld.
joyful
when Mogulesko
* * *
of a man who has learned
danced!"
Time: The 1870s through life's hardest truths, who in
"The Yiddish comic spirit
the 1930s.
his fallen state looks with
loves a song. Mogulesko
Place: Romanian tav-
irony on others, who laughs
sang thesongs he himself
erns, Russia. England and out of a bitter heart. weeps
composed, the songs of his
New York City.
only when he is alone, and
heart. And they are their
Casting: by destiny.
will let no one near him to
songs — they sing them
Lead. Characters:
see the truth of his soul."
long after they leave the
Jacob Adler the bright
Jacob Gordin
a play-
theatre."
star • of exile. "From my
wright who joined with
Avrom Goldfoden origi-
earliest days on the stage I
Adler to raise the standards
nal Yiddish- playwright.
gave first importance to
of the Yiddish theatre from
"My mission in life is ac-
those roles where the actor
shund (trash) to art.
complished. I have given to
works not with his feet. but
Boris Thomashelsky
a
my people a Yiddish
with his face. voice, eyes;
Yiddish actor whose person-
theatre. I ask nothing
not with jests and comic
ality was impossible to re- „ more."
antics. but with the prin-
sist. "He looked like a king. • Maurice Schwartz
an
ciples of art: not to amuse
he lived like a king and
actor who contributed to
the audience with tumbling,
played like a king."
the second great era of
but to awaken the deepest
Siegmund Mogulesko a
Yiddish theatre through his
emotions of their soul."
Yiddish actor not in the
organizational ability.
David Kessler a Yiddish
serious vein but typifying
sound commercial sense
actor who rivaled Adler in
the essense of the Yiddish
and the personal force that
brilliance. "The desire to
comic spirit.
made it a reality.
do something original. some-
"The Yiddish comic spirit
The Era of Women - Ber-
tha Kalisib, (as Magda of
Sudermann's "Heimat"
gives one of the great per-
formances of all Yiddish
theatre.)
Keni Liptzin her Medea
"scorches the boards" and
in her "Mirale Efros" is a
star equal to Kessler or
Adler.
Sara Adler comes into
her own in Tolstoy's "Res-
surrection" and reached
the heights as the simple
Jewish housewife of Jacob
Gordin's "Homeless."
Lulla Rosenfeld actress
in the Yiddish and Ameri-
can theatre. as well as au-
thor. who writes this book
on the history of the Yidd-
ish theatre from its begin-
nings in Eastern Europe to
its
culminating years in
The Grand Theater in New York, where Adler and his
America as well as on the
troupe performed "The Broken Hearts" after taking over
story of her grandfather.
the building (See marquee).
Jacob Adler.

DR. PETER MARTIN

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She thoughly researches
known scholarly works and
has the added advantage of
discovering hitherto unpub-
lished memoirs by her
grandfather.
Supporting cast - hun-
dreds of thousands of .Jews
who have a love affair with
the Yiddish theatre and
who for 60 years followed it
through pogrom and pover-
ty from Russia and Ro-
mania to exile in England:
to its final bloom in New
York City.
* * *
(Excerpt)
Act II scene 1. Time-1890,
Place-New York City.
Settin: A greet audience
already existed—audience
of Zionists and Socialists,
working people and in-
Jacob and Sara Adler, shortly after his arrival in Amer-
tellectuals, rich and poor.
ica, acting in "A Sailor in Distress."
Patriots about America,
nationalists in their devo-
* * *
Since everything was in
tion to the promised Pales-
readiness for him, this man
Read it. You will love it:
tine, remembering always
now stepped forward.
the lost home. the lost life,
Curtain up
the shtetl of their past. the
(Enter from left of stage-
public was waiting for the
Jacob Adler)
curtain to go up on the true
Yiddish theatre.
All that was needed was
a man who would -find for
that theatre its subject and
its voice.

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Adler as Uriel Acosta, a
Jewish follower of Galileo.

Jacob Adler as the Beg-
gar of Odessa.

Adler as the "Wild Man"
in the play by Jacob Gor-
din.

Lubavitch and Satmar: Contrast and Conflict in N.Y.

By BEN GALLOB

wider observance of Jewish
ritual among Jews general-
ly.
Hasidic groups in the
The Satmar movement,
United States have been get-
ting increasing attention. which has its headquarters
The two largest groups—the in nearby Williamsburg,
Lubavitch and the Satmar- maintains—like the Lu-
are equally ultra-Orthodox. bavitch—a massive network
They have received more of religious, social and
media coverage than the educational institutions.
But—very much unlike the
smaller Hasidic groups.
The Lubavitch move- Lubaviteh—the Satmar out-
ment, which has its world look spurns both outreach
headquarters in the Crown and publicity.
Heights section of Brook-
The Lubavitch leaders de-
lyn, is unique among Hasid- scribe their movement as
ic groups for its com- one dedicated to peace and
mitment to reach out to the love. The Satmar leaders
rest of the Jewish world. It point to their philosophy
is also unique for a shrewd and practice of minding
feeling for publicity by their own business. Inevita-
which it calls attention to bly, there was widespread
its many and varied activi- shock among Jews last
ties seeking to bring alien- April when there were phys-
ated or uncommitted Jews ical clashes in William-
to its kind of. traditional sburg between members of
Judaism, and to stimulate the two movements.

(Copyright 1977. Jewish Telegraphic
Agency. Inc.(

Many Jews, particularly
among non-Hasidic Ortho-
dox Jews, described the
clashes as a Hillul Ha-
Shem, a Hebrew expression
describing a shameful in-
cident reflecting on the
good name of all Jews.
The display of Satmar-
Lubavitch hostility on April
9, the seventh day of Pass-
over, was not the first mani-
festation of hostility be-
tween the two movements,
although it appears to have
been the first which re-
sulted in a physical clash.
During Purim of 1975, the
Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem Schneerson, was
hanged in effigy in William-
sburg.
Another incident was a
ptrported desecration, last
January, of the grave of
Rabbi Yosef Schneerson, fa-
ther-in-law of Rabbi Men-
achem Schneerson, in Mon-

tefiore Cemetery. Accord-
ing to one published news
story, Satmar youngsters
scattered refuse at the
gravesite.
The April 9 incident was
described as stemming
from a public dispute be-
tween the two groups in-
volving the July 4, 1976 res-
cue of Israeli hostages at
Entebbe. Rabbi Schneerson
described it as a miracle.
Satmar leaders rejected
that evaluation and con-
tended that some of the Is-
raelis killed in the rescue
operation might have sur,
vived if negotiations had
been continued.
Satmar officials said that,
for the six months preced-
ing the April 9 clash, the
New York Yiddish weekly
Algemeine Journal had pub-
lisheti in almost every issue
editorial matter assailing
the Satmar and attacks in
advertising sponsored by
Lubavitch Hasidim. The offi-
cials said that in the edito-
rial and advertisements,
the Satmar were described -
as Amalekites, the "wicked
son," unbelievers and other
epithets.
The Satmar appealed to
the Lubavitch to cancel
their visit to Williamsburg
last Passover. The United

Jewish Organizations of Wil-
sburg, some pushing and
liamsburg, an umbrella
shouting occurred but a spe-
group for various organiza-
cial police detail moved in
tions and Hasidic groups in
to separate the two groups.
Williamsburg, held a spe-
The Lubavitch youth contin-
cie' meeting and approved
ued
their march and were.
a resolution urging the Lu-
the
targets
of verbal abuse
bavitch to call off the
and some minor pushing
planned visit to William-
and shouting, according to
sburg because deep hostil-
the
police report.
ity had been engendered by
Satmar
spokesman said
the Algemeine Journal ma-
the driver of a Lubavitch
terial.
Mitzvah Mobile deliberately
Rabbi Shmuel Butman of
drove the van to a spot in
the Lubavitch Youth Organi-
front of the Satmar syna
zation reported that it had
gogue and parked it there,
been a 30-year tradition for
leaving the van loudspeaker
the Lubavitch to organize a
on.
visit of some 1,000 to 2,000
They conceded that a
Lubavitch youth to the Wil-
clash did take place
liamsburg community on
that a window of the van
the seventh day of Passover
was broken. But they de-
"to share with fellow Jews
nied reports that the van's
the spirit of the holiday in
tires were slashed or that
the light of Hasidus."
any Lubavitch visitors had
The police report stated
been seriously hurt in the
melee.
that the area police were
aware of "ill feelings" be-
The clashingly divergent
tween the two Hasidic
positions expressed in the
groups, posing the likeli-
charges and counter-
hood of trouble and that po-
charges by the spokesmen
lice efforts were made to
for the two movements are
persuade the Lubavitch
probably best understood
movement to cancel the
not as products of transi-
Passover visit but that the
tory disagreements but
Lubavitch officials were de-
rather as manifestations of
termined to proceed.
profoundly different group
The police report said
philosophies grounded in
that when the Lubavitch
the history of the two Hasid-
youth arrived in William-
ic groups.