The Moscow State Yiddish Theater : Jewish culture on the Soviet stage / Jeffrey Veidlinger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Veidlinger, Jeffrey, 1971-

Series:

Jewish literature and culture

Indiana-Michigan series in Russian and East European studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Moskovskiĭ gosudarstvennyĭ evreĭskiĭ teatr--History.

Moskovskiĭ gosudarstvennyĭ evreĭskiĭ teatr.

Theater, Yiddish--Russia (Federation)--Moscow--History--20th century.

Theater, Yiddish.

Moskovskii gosudarstvennyi evreiskii teatr.

History.

Russia (Federation)--Moscow.

Local Subjects:

Moskovskii gosudarstvennyi evreiskii teatr.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

356 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2000]

Summary:

"This is the first book in English to trace the 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 Mikhoels brought to life shtetl fables, biblical heroes, Israelite lore, exilic laments, and dilemmas of contemporary life under the guise of conventional socialist realism before the theater and many of its principal figures fell victim to Stalinist anti-semitism and xenophobia after World War II."--Jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: Soviet Jewish culture or Soviet culture in Yiddish?

"Let's perform a miracle": the creation of the Moscow State Yiddish Theater

Comrades from the center: state, party, and stage

Wandering stars: tour and reconstruction

The court is in session: judgment postponed

Where are the Maccabees?: the heroic past

One generation passes away: the great terror

Brother Jews: Mikhoels and the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee

Our people live: the Yiddish theater during World War II

This is a bad omen: the last act

Conclusion: The Moscow State Yiddish Theater.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-341) and index.

National Jewish Book Awards - Yiddish Language and Culture, Winner, 2000

Other Format:

Online version: Veidlinger, Jeffrey, 1971- Moscow State Yiddish Theater.

ISBN:

0253337844

9780253337849

9780253218926

0253218926

OCLC:

43662234