24 | OCTOBER 28 • 2021

S

ince the 1960s, Fiddler on the Roof has been
a staple of Jewish community and culture.
The classic film and Broadway production
captures Jewish life in a shtetl in pre-revolutionary
Russia, navigating the ups and downs of everyday
matters.
Now, Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield
will bring the story to life once more with a musical
revue of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, a Broadway
Yiddish-language adaptation of the hit created by
Zalmen Mlotek. On Nov. 7, the synagogue will
present L
’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish as
part of the Irving and Beverly Laker Concert Series.
The Sunday afternoon performance will see
Mlotek (musical director and artistic director of the
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene) along with
three performers who sing and narrate how the
miracle of Fiddler happened.
“It’s a revue of some of the hits of the show, but
also with dialogue and behind-the-scenes commen-
tary,
” says Shaarey Zedek’s Hazzan David Propis.
Joining Mlotek are Steven Skybell (Tevye);
Jennifer Babiak (Golda); and Michael Yashinsky
(Nachum the Beggar), a Michigan actor from the
Broadway production. For Yashinsky, whose par-
ents belong to the synagogue, the event will also
serve as a homecoming.
After Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish’s successful run
on Broadway, the idea was to take the show on the
road — but then COVID-19 hit.
After much deliberation, Propis explains that
while taking the full-fledged production on tour
wasn’t an option due to the ongoing public health
crisis, a smaller revue was possible. Out of the idea,
L
’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish was born
in partnership with Shaarey Zedek, and the revue
will actually see its world debut at the Nov. 7 per-
formance.

REIMAGINING A HIT
“We’re very excited about this,” Hazzan Propis
says. “We will have English subtitles for transla-

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish
captures classic storyline in revue form.

New Take on a Classic
at Shaarey Zedek

OUR COMMUNITY

TOP TO BOTTOM:
Jennifer Babiak
Michael Yashinsky
Hazzan David Propis

tion for those who don’t understand Yiddish, so
they’ll have a really good idea of what everyone’s
singing.”
The free concert — open to the Jewish commu-
nity and beyond — will also be available for online
streaming for those who prefer to watch it from
home. Online registration, however, is required. A
paid reception at Shaarey Zedek will also follow the
show, where guests can meet the artists and learn
more about the production.
In its revue form, L
’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’
in Yiddish plans to capture the original storyline
through a new lens.
“The story of Fiddler is the tension between tra-
dition and modernity with one family living in the
Jewish shtetl of Anatevka,
” Hazzan Propis explains.
“The Yiddish language [adaptation] really cut to
the heart of flavor of what Jewish pathos were going
through, especially in shtetl days.
”
Reimaging the classic hit in Yiddish, Propis says,
provided more insight into Jewish struggles in the
Pale of Settlement. He believes it will help both fans
and newcomers alike connect and reconnect with
the story in new ways. “I think the mood is going
to be incredibly exciting,
” he notes. “It’s exciting for
people to get together and to really get an intimate
look at how they made this production happen.
”

BOTH LIVE AND LIVESTREAM
Shaarey Zedek has prepared for the livestream
with the addition of high-quality HD cameras
throughout the synagogue space. “We’re all set for
this kind of production,” Propis says. “Everyone
wants to have a behind-the-scenes look as to how
things happened and why things were done the
way they were.”
L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish will
include the backstory of the show paired with a
selection of songs from the hit Broadway produc-
tion. “You get the face value,” Propis says.
Shaarey Zedek is anticipating 500-1,000 guests at
the Nov. 7 show. The synagogue plans to have ample