Yiddish Theater Research: A Quick Online Guide

By Dorot Jewish Division Staff
September 11, 2015
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Joseph Buloff

Joseph Buloff. Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library. Image ID: 115334

NYPL's comprehensive Yiddish theater collection includes hundreds of play manuscripts, published plays, sheet music, music manuscripts, memoirs, oral histories, postersplaybills, and photographs,  as well as secondary sources.  Here's a brief guide to Yiddish theater resources in NYPL and beyond.

General Works

Digital Yiddish Theatre Project
A research consortium and website applying digital humanities tools and methods to the study of Yiddish theatre and drama.

Berkowitz, Joel (ed.)

Yiddish Theatre: New Approaches

A collection of scholarly essays  on Yiddish theater, including a substantial bibliography (pp. 221-255).
Sandrow, Nahma.Vagabond Stars: A World History of Yiddish Theater.
A classic, highly readable and informative overview of Yiddish theater.
Sandrow, Nahma. Yiddish Theater in the United States (Encyclopedia of Jewish Women)
Overview of Yiddish theater in the United States with an emphasis on women’s participation.
YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
A concise yet comprehensive overview of Yiddish theater in Eastern Europe
Zylbercweig, Zalmen.Leksikon fun Yidishn TeaterIndex by Faith Jones (NYPL)
Comprehensive reference work on Yiddish theater. Use the index to find entries on individuals, theatrical companies, movements, and unions.

Scene from Kidesh Ha-Shem

Scene from the Yiddish Theatre stage production of Kiddush Hashem, 1928. Image ID: ps_the_cd49_746

Plays

Resource
Content
Dorot Jewish Division, NYPL:Index to Yiddish plays (Faith Jones)
Manuscript finding aid
Dorot Jewish Division,New York Public Library
Search the call number *PTP in the catalog for Yiddish plays in original and translation (in print format), and also use keywords "Yiddish drama" and "Yiddish theater"
The Lawrence Marwick Collection of Copyrighted Yiddish Plays at The Library of Congress: An Annotated Bibliography By Zachary M. Baker With the assistance of Bonnie Sohn
Index of Yiddish play manuscripts submitted to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress:Yiddish-language playscripts
77 online Yiddish play manuscripts.
Mestel, Jacob. 70 Yor Teater-Repertuar: Tsu der Geshikhte fun Yidishn Teater in Amerike. --. Undzer Teater. Nyu-York:
Search indices for play titles and authors; they guide you to the text where you can find out date of first production, stars, and sometimes other production history.
National Jewish Theater Foundation - Holocaust Theater Catalog
Catalog of 600+ plays on Holocaust themes, including works in Yiddish, English, and other languages.
Yiddish Book Center - Spielberg Digital Library (Internet Archive)
11K+ items including Yiddish plays, dramas, and related literature
YIVO Yiddish Theater Collection
(Internet Archive)
616 Yiddish theater items (mostly plays)

Bertha Kalich

Bertha Kalich. Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library. Image ID: TH-25321

Music

Use the catalog to explore NYPL's Yiddish sheet music, music manuscripts, and recordings. For more, see Finding Yiddish Music: A Quick Online Guide.

Biography

American Jewish Committee Oral History CollectionDorot Jewish Division,New York Public Library
2,500 oral history interviews, including with Yiddish actorsOnline: Theodore Bikel, Lillian Lux Burstein, Joseph Buloff, Luba Kadison, Molly Picon and Jacob Kalich, Joseph Mlotek, Zero Mostel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Michael Tilson Thomas, Richard TuckerAudio and print:
Celia Adler, Sholem Asch, Moses Asch, Jacob Ben-Ami, Minna Bern, Ben Bonus, Mike Burstyn, Herschel Bernardi, Jacob Jacobs, Miriam Kressyn, Baruch Lumet, Mascha Benya Matz, Jack Rechtzeit, Seymour Rexsite, Lulla Adler Rosenfeld, Nahma Sandrow
Landis, Joseph.Memoirs of the Yiddish Stage
Reminiscenses of the Yiddish theatre / David Kessler
Celia Adler recalls / Celia Adler
From the Melody remains / Sholem Secunda
From Around the world with Yiddish theatre / Herman Yablokoff
From What a life! / Pesakh'ke Burstein
First Yiddish theatre ventures in New York City / Marvin L. Seiger
NYPL Catalog
Keyword search:
Yiddish theater biography”:
Yiddish actors biography”:
Jewish actors biography
Wexler Oral History Project, Yiddish Book Center
Keyword search: “Yiddish Theater
Category: Musicians, Actors, and Artists
Zylbercweig, Zalmen.Leksikon fun Yidishn Teater.Index by Faith Jones (NYPL)
A comprehensive source for Yiddish theater research, including biographies of individual actors, directors, composers and playwrights.

Broken Violin

Boris Thomashefsky, Celia Adler, and Lazar Freed in "The Broken Violin." Image ID: 1689994

Images

Albom fun Idishn teater
Album of the Yiddish theater, by Zalmen Zylbercweig, with captions in Yiddish and English.
Center for Jewish History: Yiddish Theater Collection

Link to collection finding aids, online images, and catalog records for hundreds of Yiddish theater items. Includes 300 online images.

Centro de documentación e información sobre Judaísmo Argentino - "Mark Turkow"

Digital Europeana

Digital photographic archive of the Yiddish theater in Argentina.

Use keywords “Jidisz” and “Yiddish Theater” to find digitized posters and other items

Esther Rokhl Kaminska Theater Museum - YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Large collection including posters and photographs of Jewish theater in Poland and other countries before World War II.
Museum of the City of New York - Digital Gallery
Images and photographs from the Yiddish theater in New York.
Oysfarkoyft = Sold out!
ed. Silvia Hansman, Susana Skura, Gabriela Kogan ; [translation Jane Brodie].
Collection of Yiddish theater posters from Argentina.
Yiddish Poster Collection (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee) -
Digitized Yiddish theater posters from Eastern Europe, especially Latvia.
Yiddish Theater in London
An illustrated overview of Yiddish theater in London, from the Jewish Museum of London.
Yiddish Theater PlacardsNYPL Digital Collections
Browse 400 Yiddish theater posters from New York and Buenos Aires. Also, use keywords “Yiddish theater” and actors’ names to find photographs and more.
Yiddish Theater Programs and Playbills
Search NYPL's catalog for the call number **P (Program) for programs and playbills from Yiddish productions

Yoshe Kalb

Yoshe Kalb, adapted from the novel by I. J. Singer, in the Yiddish Art Theatre. Billy Rose Theatre Division,New York Public Library.

Archives

Archive Grid
Use keywords “Yiddish theater” and names of actors to find archival collections.
American Jewish Archives
Use keyword search for “Yiddish theater”
Center for Jewish History: Electronic Finding Aids
Search finding aids for archival collections.
Museum of the City of New York
Finding aid for the Yiddish theater collection at the Museum of the City of New York.
National Library of Israel
Use keyword search for “Yiddish Theater Archives

טהעאטער יידיש

YIVO - Sidney Krum Jewish Music and Yiddish Theater Memorial CollectionsGuide to the YIVO Archives
Search by keyword or actors’ names.

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