Yiddish Theatre District Explained

Yiddish Theatre District
Settlement Type:District
Image Alt:Picture of poster with worn edges and yiddish writing
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:New York State
Subdivision Type2:City
Subdivision Name2:New York City
Subdivision Type3:Boroughs of New York City
Subdivision Name3:Manhattan
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto

The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, between Houston Street and East 14th Street in the East Village in Manhattan.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The District hosted performances in Yiddish of Jewish, Shakespearean, classic, and original plays, comedies, operettas, and dramas, as well as vaudeville, burlesque, and musical shows.[3] [6] [7]

By World War I, the Yiddish Theatre District was cited by journalists Lincoln Steffens, Norman Hapgood, and others as the best in the city. It was the leading Yiddish theater district in the world.[1] [8] [9] [10] The District's theaters hosted as many as 20 to 30 shows a night.

After World War II, however, Yiddish theater became less popular.[11] By the mid-1950s few theaters were still extant in the District.[12]

History

The United States' first Yiddish theater production was hosted in 1882 at the New York Turn Verein, a gymnastic club at 66 East 4th Street in the Little Germany neighborhood of Manhattan (now considered part of the East Village). While most of the early Yiddish theaters were located in the Lower East Side south of Houston Street, several theater producers were considering moving north into the East Village along Second Avenue by the first decades of the 20th century.[13]

In 1903, New York's first Yiddish theater was built, the Grand Theatre. In addition to translated versions of classic plays, it featured vaudeville acts, musicals, and other entertainment.[14] Second Avenue gained more prominence as a Yiddish theater destination in the 1910s with the opening of two theatres: the Second Avenue Theatre, which opened in 1911 at 35–37 Second Avenue,[15] and the National Theater, which opened in 1912 at 111–117 East Houston Street.[16]

In addition to Yiddish theaters, the District had related music stores, photography studios, flower shops, restaurants, and cafes (including Cafe Royal, on East 12th Street and Second Avenue).[8] [17] [18] Metro Music, on Second Avenue in the District, published most of the Yiddish and Hebrew sheet music for the American market until they went out of business in the 1970s.[19] The building at 31 East 7th Street in the District is owned by the Hebrew Actors Union, the first theatrical union in the US.[20]

The childhood home of composer and pianist George Gershwin (born Jacob Gershvin) and his brother lyricist Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershowitz) was in the center of the Yiddish Theatre District, on the second floor at 91 Second Avenue, between East 5th and 6th Streets. They frequented the local Yiddish theaters.[1] [21] [22] [23] Composer and lyricist Irving Berlin (born Israel Baline) also grew up in the District, in a Yiddish-speaking home.[22] [24] Actor John Garfield (born Jacob Garfinkle) grew up in the heart of the Yiddish Theatre District.[25] [26] Walter Matthau had a brief career as a Yiddish Theatre District concessions stand cashier.[6]

Among those who began their careers in the Yiddish Theatre District were actor Paul Muni and actress, lyricist, and dramatic storyteller Molly Picon (born Małka Opiekun). Picon performed in plays in the District for seven years.[27] [28] Another who started in the District was actor Jacob Adler (father of actress and acting teacher Stella Adler), who played the title role in Der Yiddisher King Lear (The Yiddish King Lear), before playing on Broadway in The Merchant of Venice.[14] [29] [30] [31] [32]

The Second Avenue Deli, opened in 1954 by which time most of the Yiddish theaters had disappeared, thrived on the corner of Second Avenue and East 10th Street in the District, but it has since moved to different locations.[33] [34] The Yiddish Walk of Fame is on the sidewalk outside of its original location, honoring stars of the Yiddish era such as Molly Picon, actor Menasha Skulnik, singer and actor Boris Thomashevsky (grandfather of conductor, pianist, and composer Michael Tilson-Thomas), and Fyvush Finkel (born Philip Finkel).[1] [33]

In 2006, New York Governor George Pataki announced $200,000 in state funding would be provided to the Folksbiene, the last remaining historical Yiddish theatre company.[35] [36]

See also

References

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Rough Guide to New York City . Andrew Rosenberg, Martin Dunford . Penguin . 2012. 9781405390224 . March 10, 2013.
  2. Book: Let's Go New York City 16th Edition . Let's Go, Inc. Macmillan . 2006 . 9780312360870 . March 10, 2013.
  3. Book: Oscar Israelowitz's guide to Jewish New York City . Oscar Israelowitz . Israelowitz Publishing . 2004. 9781878741622 . March 10, 2013.
  4. News: Cofone . Annie . Theater District; Strolling Back Into the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater . The New York Times . September 13, 2010 . March 10, 2013 . April 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160423081700/http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/tag/theater-district/ . dead .
  5. Web site: East Village/Lower East Side Re-zoning; Environmental Impact Study; Chapter 7: Historic Resources . 2007 . March 10, 2013 . December 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121222042831/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/env_review/evles/07_feis.pdf . dead .
  6. News: Cofone . Annie . Strolling Back Into the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater . The Local – East Village . June 8, 2012 . March 10, 2013.
  7. Web site: November 28, 1997 . Yiddish music maven sees mamaloshen in mainstream . March 10, 2013 . J. The Jewish News of Northern California.
  8. Web site: Yiddish Theater District June 3 Walking Tour . Lower East Side Preservation Initiative . June 26, 2012 . March 10, 2013 . December 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215015624/http://www.lespi-nyc.org/updates/65-news-from-lespi-2012-summer.html . dead .
  9. Web site: Jewish History Resources in New York State . Sussman, Lance J. . Lance J. Sussman . nysed.gov . March 10, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130514095939/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_pgc_jewish_essay.shtml . May 14, 2013 .
  10. Book: The Lower East Side: A Guide to Its Jewish Past With 99 New Photographs . Ronald Sanders . Ronald Sanders (writer). Courier Dover Publications. 1979. 9780486238715 . March 10, 2013.
  11. News: O'Brien traces history of Yiddish theater . J. Katz. Campus Times . September 29, 2005. March 10, 2013.
  12. News: Bruce Adler, 63, Star of Broadway and Second Avenue . Lana Gersten . Forward . July 29, 2008. March 10, 2013.
  13. Web site: East Village/Lower East Side Historic District . October 9, 2012 . New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. September 28, 2019.
  14. News: Robert Brustein on the tradition of Yiddish theater . CK Wolfson . The Martha's Vineyard Times . October 14, 2012 . March 10, 2013.
  15. Web site: $800,000 THEATRE OPENS ON EAST SIDE; Big as the Hippodrome, but Many Are Turned Away from First Night's Performance. . The New York Times . September 15, 1911 . September 1, 2019.
  16. Web site: CURES' GREAT HALL AT CITY COLLEGE; Harvard Scientist Remedies Faulty Acoustics After a Summer's Experimenting. . The New York Times . September 25, 1912 . September 1, 2019.
  17. Book: A Gilgul Fun a Nigun: Jewish Musicians in New York, 1881–1945 . James Benjamin Loeffler . Harvard College Library . 1997. March 10, 2013.
  18. Book: Jews and American Popular Culture: Music, theater, popular art, and literature . Paul Buhle . Praeger Publishers. 2007. 9780275987954 . March 10, 2013.
  19. Book: Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books . Aaron Lansky . Algonquin Books . 2005. 9781565126367 . March 10, 2013.
  20. News: Yiddish stars still shine, just less frequently, on 7th . Bonnie Rosenstock . Thevillager.com . July 8, 2009 . March 10, 2013.
  21. Book: George Gershwin: His Life and Work . registration . 43 . george gershwin second avenue yiddish. . Howard Pollack . University of California Press. 2006 . March 10, 2013.
  22. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-20-ca-34192-story.html "Reviving, Revisiting Yiddish Culture"
  23. Encyclopedia: Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress: George Gershwin . Jewish Virtual Library . 2013 . March 10, 2013.
  24. Book: Funny It Doesn't Sound Jewish: How Yiddish Songs and Synagogue Melodies Influences Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood . Jack Gottlieb . SUNY Press . 2004. 9780844411309 . March 10, 2013.
  25. Book: He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield . Robert Nott . Hal Leonard Corporation . 2003. 9780879109851 . March 10, 2013.
  26. Book: Acting Jewish: Negotiating Ethnicity on the American Stage & Screen . registration . 39 . Jacob Garfinkle yiddish. . Henry Bial . University of Michigan Press . 2005 . March 10, 2013.
  27. Book: Pennsylvania Biographical Dictionary. North American Book Dist LLC. January 1999. 9780403099504. March 10, 2013.
  28. Book: Jewish life in twentieth-century America: challenge and accommodation . Milton Plesur . Nelson-Hall. 1982 . 9780882298009 . March 10, 2013.
  29. Web site: Treasures and "Shandas" from the Collection on Yiddish theater . Morgen Stevens-Garmon . Museum of the City of New York . February 7, 2012 . March 10, 2013.
  30. Book: The Ultimate New York City Trivia Book . Hy Brett . Thomas Nelson Inc. 1997. 9781418559175 . March 10, 2013.
  31. Book: The Importance of the Yiddish Theatre in the Evolution of the Modern American Theatre . Cary Leiter . 2008 . 9780549927716 . March 10, 2013 .
  32. Web site: February 28: Molly Picon . Lawrence Bush . Jewishcurrents.org . February 28, 2010 . March 10, 2013 . April 15, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130415063926/http://jewishcurrents.org/february-28-molly-picon-962 . dead .
  33. Book: Dirty Yiddish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" . Adrienne Gusoff . Ulysses Press . 2012 . 9781612430560 . March 10, 2013.
  34. News: Horn . Dara . Dara Horn explains how ethnic food goes from the exotic to the mainstream. Then the nostalgia kicks in . Wall Street Journal . October 15, 2009 . March 10, 2013 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20121002054215/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574443811713842786.html . October 2, 2012 .
  35. Web site: Tugend . Tom . April 19, 2007 . Films: The little Yiddish theater that could . https://web.archive.org/web/20160508075744/https://jewishjournal.com/arts/article/films_the_little_yiddish_theater_that_could_20070420 . 2016-05-08 . April 9, 2016 . Jewish Journal.
  36. Web site: Leon . Masha . January 17, 2008 . Yiddish Theater: Going Strong . April 9, 2016 . The Forward.

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