Sholem Aleichem’s «Tsezeyt Un tseshpreht» [Scattered and Dispersed] in Warsaw (1905 and 1910)
Chone Szmeruk
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
Abstract
The article reconstructs the history of Sholem Aleichem’s forgotten play Tsezeyt Un tseshpreht [Scattered and Dispersed], which, since its publication in the weekly Jidisze Folkscajtung (1903) and performances in theatres from Kovel to New York (1903–1905), was regarded as reflecting current social, national and cultural tendencies. The Jewish community received it enthusiastically. It was performed in Yiddish, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew, in professional and amateur theatres. After the First World War, it disappeared from the stages. It had several authorized versions. Its theme is the generational conflict between parents and children; after a small-town family moves to a city, the children all too soon succumb to city life’s temptations and become involved in political activities. The family disintegrates and the comedy turns into a tragicomedy. The reception of the play is also discussed at length in the context of the relations between Warsaw Jews and the Polish theatre.
Keywords:
Sholem Aleichem, Jewish theater in Warsaw, Jewish audience, Marek Arensztejn, Summer TheaterReferences
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Authors
Chone SzmerukHebrew University of Jerusalem Israel
Chone Shmeruk (1921–1997) – historian specializing in Jewish culture and literature, Yiddish scholar, long-time professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founder of the Centre for Research and Documentation of East European Jewry (1956) and the Centre for Research on the History and Culture of Polish Jewry (1982). He initiated publishing series on Yiddish literature, a catalogue of Jewish press titles, and a bibliography of Yiddish old prints. He was a visiting professor at the Jagiellonian University, University of Warsaw, and University of Łódź.
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Copyright (c) 1992 Chone Szmeruk
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