Periods
Explore Yiddish performances by period, from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
- Early Yiddish Theatre
- The Jewish Enlightenment
1876-1899
Early 20th Century
1918-1945
1945-1999
21st Century
March 4, 2015
A Writer, a Painter, and Queen Esther
Purim reminds us that modern Yiddish theatre traces its lineage from the traditional folk drama genre known as the Purim-shpil.
February 4, 2015
Goldfaden’s Rules for Yiddish Actors
In 1888, the first school for Yiddish actors was supposed to open in New York. It never did.
January 29, 2015
Ola Lillith’s Edgy, Avant-Garde Yiddish Cabaret
I first discovered Ola Lilith while researching for my band Mappamundi’s Cabaret Warsaw CD.
January 21, 2015
The Talented Mr Rotblat and His Micrographic Tribute to Jacob Gordin
This is the story behind an exquisite portrait of a Yiddish dramatist.
January 13, 2015
Yiddish Theatre Posters of the 1890s
The New York Public Library’s Digital Collection includes Yiddish theatre posters dating back more than a hundred years.
January 5, 2015
The Chasidim Ball
Between 1921 and 1933, a “Chasidim Ball” was held to raise funds for Poale Zion, or for the Peretz Shule. But why?