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 

