Yiddish playwright Abraham Goldfaden

by Jordan Kutzik

Without a land (country) of their own, Yiddish speaking Jews established a national culture in large part through their literature. The most popular forms of literature throughout the Yiddish speaking world were arguably the shpil (play) and the forshtelung (production). Perhaps the greatest Yiddish dramaturg (playwright) of all time was Abraham Goldfaden who iz geborn gevorn (was born) in Starokostiantyniv Rusland (Russia) on July 24, 1840. Goldfaden not only founded the first professional Yiddish theater company in the world in 1876 but wrote over forty plays and hundreds of lider (songs, poems) that influenced dores (generations) of Yiddish language writers. Wherever he traveled he established Yiddish teaters (theaters) and his actors often left him to start theaters of their own. Among his most famous plays was his comedic masterwork, “Shmendrik, oder di komishe khasene” (Shmendrik or the funny wedding) from which the Yiddish (and now) English word shmendrik originated. Tsum badoyren (unfortunately) the mayster-verk (master work) is now farloryen (lost). Goldfaden’s most famous lid (song), Rozhinkes mit Mandlen (Raisins with Almonds) is a viglid (lullaby) which still sung throughout the Yiddish speaking world biz haynt (to this day), even in the Hasidic world. The song is best known outside of the Jewish world for its appearance in the 1988 mini-series War and Remembrance, in which it is sung by the aktriske (actress) Jane Seymour in a clip which is available on Youtube. The song begins with an almone (widow) singing in a beys-hamikdesh (temple) to her son, telling him that under his vig (crib), a vays tsigele (white goat) is sitting ready to trade rozhinkes mit mandlen (raisins with almonds) with him. The almone (widow) continues that as he grows up and travels through the great wide world as a soykher (businessman) on banen (trains), he will often think of this song. When Goldfanden died in 1908, the New York Times hailed him as the “Yiddish Shakespeare.” 75,000 people attended his levaye (funeral) in New York City.
Country Play Production Playwright Was born Russia Song Songs Generation Theater Or Komish Wedding Mayster-Verk Lost Lullaby To this day Actress Widow Temple Crib Goat Raisin With Almond Businessman Train Funeral Land Shpil Forshtelung Dramaturg iz geborn Rusland Lid Lider Dor Teater Oder Funny Khasene Masterwork Farloryen Viglid Biz’n haynt Aktriske Almone Beys-Hamikdesh Vays Tsig Rozhinke Mit Mandl Soykher Ban Levaye
Ressources: YouTube videos about Goldfaden: Jane Seymour sings Rozhinkes mit Mandlen
ShareThis Send us your