Yiddish Theater Research: A Quick Online Guide
NYPL's comprehensive Yiddish theater collection includes hundreds of play manuscripts, published plays, sheet music, music manuscripts, memoirs, oral histories, posters, playbills, 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.) |
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 Teater Index by Faith Jones (NYPL) |
Comprehensive reference work on Yiddish theater. Use the index to find entries on individuals, theatrical companies, movements, and unions. |
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) |
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 Collection Dorot Jewish Division, New York Public Library |
2,500 oral history interviews, including with Yiddish actors Online: 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 Tucker Audio 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. |
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 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 Placards NYPL 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 |
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” |
| YIVO - Sidney Krum Jewish Music and Yiddish Theater Memorial Collections Guide to the YIVO Archives |
Search by keyword or actors’ names. |
Need more?
- For Yiddish theater music, see “Finding Yiddish Music: A Quick Online Guide”
- For periodicals, see “A Quick Guide to Jewish Periodicals”
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Comments
Amanda, thanks so much for
Submitted by David Mazower (not verified) on September 12, 2015 - 6:40am
Yiddish Theatre: New Approaches
Submitted by Amanda Seigel (not verified) on September 25, 2015 - 9:36am
Thanks Miryem-Khaye!!
Submitted by Reyze (not verified) on May 31, 2017 - 8:15am