20 Friday, March 18, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS SAVE° Two Novels Center on Yiddish Theater By LEA D. FIELD amolim irma mama li •* I 1 si 50 1 (PLAIN SLACKS ! & SWEATERS ' . Reg. 5210 I I I Must Be Presented I With Incoming Order Limit 10 -.I !Cash & Carry . I Expires - 41 /2/83 l i ▪ SHARI LYNN CLEANER -- 1 awl ims NI la Emma am ■ um um gm ma =mow mu alom. ■ r . im ammanom sonam we ma am am am mama ame am me 1 I 2 PC. PLAIN t3 I I SbliS MEN'S LADIE S . I _ Reg. $4.20 I I I Must Be Presented 1 With Incoming Order I Cash & Carry Limit 3 ▪ SHARI LYNN CLEANER IM111111111=11111•1111111MIMIIMME EXpireS4/2/83 ■■ 111•10111. 11111 ■ 1=111111•11•11•11ii.1 1 11 Same Day Dry Cleaning Skt/te 4:ta 542-2555• 13741 W. 11 Mile Rd. Oak Park Michigan 48237 Make the Two novels using the early Yiddish theater in America for the background of their stories have re- cently been published. The more noteworthy, "Glorious Morning" by Julie Ellis, published by Arbor House, tells a warm, passionate story about Jewish life in America at the turn of the century with special emphasis on the Yiddish theater. - Rissa Lindowski, at 14, finds herself miraculously the only survivor of a horri- ble and brutal pogrom that swept their shtetl. She feels that destiny has spared her for a purpose and vows to make the name Of Lin- dowski a glorious memorial to honor her slaughtered parents. Fleeing on foot to Mos- cow, a chance meeting with a- Jewish theatrical family sweeps her into the primitive Yiddish theater that then pre- vailed in small halls or barns doubling as theat- ers. Her youth, her budding beauty and unexpected ta- ' lent finds her firmly Our light, semi holidays s twAL t teeadd wine experts. Now our g Spatiihrignewgiftbox ‘kii makes the best even • better to give or receive. Sparkling Bartenura Asti Spumante, • the great Italian import - 0 - KOSHER FOR PASSOVER no9`2 - 10.) entrenched in the troupe and so her pattern is set. She will henceforth be an actress. She falls in love with a young, attractive visitor on vacation who brings her to London. There she. loses her village innocence and naiv- ete and is heart-broken and disillusioned when she dis- covers that he is the son of an English lord and never meant to marry her. She vows that henceforth she will Make her own way and depend only on herself. Coming to America, and making the rounds of the Yiddish theater, her youth, her beauty and natural ta- lent are of no avail against the newly-formed "Hebrew Actors Protective Union" in the early years of 1900 (be- fore Actors Equity was dreamed of). While it was a boon to the actors who under its laws were guaran- teed a living wage and a concern for those left stranded out of town, its rules were so stringent that it was almost impossible for a young aspirant to find work. As one seasoned ac- tress told Rissa, "the unions won't let anyone in until somebody al- ready in, dies, and it's a shame when an actress — a `bubbr already — plays a 15-year-old on the stage." But there was always the variety stage and music halls, whose unions were most , lenient. From here, Rissa finally climbs to a brilliant career on the Yid- dish stage on. the Lower East Side. With a devoted and loving husband as her director and manager, he guides her progress until one day she is a star with a theater of her own and feels a thrill, that at last, Mama's and Papa's name has mean- ing. Her stardom and acclaim and her devotion to the Yid- dish theater bring heartbreak as well. Her husband, seeking an iden- tity of his own through movies in Hollywood, creates dissension, a diver- Sity of interest and marital conflict and once again, sor- row and pain. Here the reader is treated to a most vivid picture of .early movie-making, its re- cklessness, its utter lack of morals and its complete re- liance on the "star" system. Rissa is anxious to pre- sent the plays of Gordin, Anski and the like but the audiences show their disapproval until, like Thomashevsky, Adler and Kessler in the early days, she, too, must re- sort to "shund" or trash. As her friend, Shirley protests, "People come to America from pogroms, from being kicked and starved. Here, they work 14, 16, 18 hours a day. They come to the theater to forget their `tsoris.' They need to laugh, Rissa. For a few hours, once a week, they need to forget." Twice disappointed in . NURA EM SELECI1ON IMPORTED KEDEM WIneco.. NelkYORK, N.Y. LEA FIELD love, she comes to realize one "glorious morning" that with her career, her own theater and her family, and her deep commitment to the Yiddish theater, her dreams have been fulfilled and life is good. Julie Ellis weaves a spell-binding tale of the love and commitment of a warm, proud, courageous woman, who makes a deep' vow — to survive! Her style is direct, forthright, intense and flowing. Once started, "Glorious Morning" will be hard to put down. Julie Ellis is also the author of "The Hampton Heritage" and "The Hampton Women." Of entirely another kind is the second book, "Hungry Hearts" by Francine Prose, pub- lished by Pantheon Books. It is written in the first person by Dinah Rappoport, principal ac- tress of the Yiddish Art Theater of the early 1920s — 60 years later. Stravis- laysky was their God and Dalashinsky, the direc- tor, was his prophet. His word was law. The "star" system Was abandoned and "ensemble" and reportory theater was the order of the day. No more were lunches allowed or loud talking while plays were in progress as in the Second Avenue Theaters. No more "ad-libbing" or "playing to the balcony" for laughs. Only pure art and plays worthy of an art thea- ter were presented. The entire book is cen- tered around the play "The Dybbuk" by S. Anski with its theme of thwarted love and demonic possession. Reminiscing on the gal- vanizing effect of the play on her own life, Dinah tells the story of her three wed- dings, all to the same man, as well as life backstage with its jealousies, its con- flicts and money difficul- ties. But the author really dis- plays her wit and humor when the troupe goes on their South American tour. There, Dinah, playing the part of Leah so realistically, becomes so transfixed that a dybbuk of another sort has entered her life. To exorcise this intruder, a psychiat- rist, an earthy rabbi, the kabala together with tango dancers and mystical chants are all called into ac- tion to the delight of the reader. Deapite all these difficulties the story ends happily and all is well. _ Francine Prose is a brilliant and imaginative storyteller. She sweeps the reader along in her dramatic but deceptively-sim.ple man- ner and on the way asks some basic questions about what it is to love and to be possessed — and not just by a dybbuji. This is Francine Prose's sixth novel and her most ambitious. She has been awarded the Jewish Book Council Award for her first, "Judah, the Pious," and has attracted wide,spread criti- cal acclaim. AZYF Offers Variety of Summer Israel Tours NEW YORK — A variety of summer touring oppor- tunities-especially geared to the interests of high school and college-age students is being offered by the Ameri- can Zionist Youth Founda- tion (AZYF) Israel Program Center. For high school students, the AZYF is sponsoring Is- rael Summer Happening, 40 days of travel designed to provide a stimulating, in- depth introduction to Israel. The itinerary includes tour- ing in Jerusalem, Galilee, the Negev and Tel Aviv. Students will participate`in seminars, experience a na- ture study center, and camp in tents in the Galilee. The Israel Graduate Summer Hapenning is a similar tour for students who will graduate from high school in the spring of 1983 with extra activities. geared to students who are entering college in the fall. The college program is designed to provide college-age students with an in-depth perspective of Israel and a better , understanding of the endurance of the Jewish people throughout his- tory. For students interested in archaelogy, some programs include five days of partici- pation in a dig and guest seminars. For college stu- dents with limited time, the Student August Tour is a three-week introduction to Israel which yields insights into the vitality and spirit of the country. For an application or in- formation on these pro- grams, contact the AZYF, 515 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022. Youth Mission to Washington NEW YORK — Some 100 United' Synagogue Youth leaders from New York and New Jersey' will attend a day of briefings in Washing- ton, D.C. on March 31. The day-long mission will include meetings at the State Department, the Is- rael Embassy and the American Israel t'ublic Af- fairs Committee.