The Moscow State Yiddish Theater

by Veidlinger, Jeffrey

• ISBN13: 9780253337849
• ISBN10: 0253337844
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

This is the first book in English to trace the fascinating and tragic history of the Moscow State Yiddish Theater, founded in 1919 and liquidated by the Soviet government in 1949. Since the conventional view of the fate of Jews in Soviet Russia is that from the beginning, the Soviet state pursued policies aimed at stamping out Jewish culture, it is surprising to learn that from the 1920s through World War II, secular Yiddish culture was actively promoted and Yiddish cultural institutions thrived, supported by the Soviet government, albeit for its own propaganda purposes. Drawing from newly available archives, Jeffrey Veidlinger uses the dramatic story of the Moscow State Yiddish Theater, the premiere secular Jewish cultural institution of the Soviet era, to demonstrate how Jewish writers and artists were able to promote Jewish national culture within the confines of Soviet nationality policies. He shows how a stellar group of artists, writers, choreographers, directors, and actors led by Solomon Michaels brought to life shtetl fables, biblical heroes, Israelite

Author Biography

Jeffrey Veidlinger is Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
A Note on Transliteration and Translation	ix
Introduction: Soviet Jewish Culture or Soviet Culture in Yiddish?	1	(18)
``Let's Perform a Miracle'': The Creation of the Moscow State Yiddish Theater	19	(36)
Comrades from the Center: State, Party, and Stage	55	(34)
Wandering Stars: Tour and Reconstruction	89	(23)
The Court Is in Session: Judgment Postponed	112	(38)
Where Are the Maccabees?: The Heroic Past	150	(35)
One Generation Passes Away: The Great Terror	185	(30)
Brother Jews: Mikhoels and the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee	215	(18)
Our People Live: The Yiddish Theater during World War II	233	(19)
This Is a Bad Omen: The Last Act	252	(23)
Conclusion: The Moscow State Yiddish Theater	275	(4)
Notes	279	(44)
Bibliography	323	(20)
Index	343