Metadata: Archive of the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society
Collection
- Country:
- Sweden
- Holding institution:
- The Jewish Museum of Stockholm
- Holding institution (official language):
- Judiska museet
- Postal address:
- Själagårdsgatan 19, 111 31 Stockholm
- Phone number:
- +46 (0)8 30 15 00
- Web address:
- http://www.judiskamuseet.se
- Email:
- info@judiskamuseet.se
- Reference number:
- JUD01174; JUD01264
- Title:
- Archive of the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society
- Title (official language):
- Judiska Dramatiska Amatörsällskapets arkiv
- Creator/accumulator:
- Jewish Museum of Stockholm
- Date(s):
- 1910/1957
- Language:
- Swedish
- Yiddish
- Extent:
- 0.2 linear metres (2 large boxes)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection comprises two boxes of documents covering the period 1910-1957, including a large collection of theatre programmes, photographs, reviews, correspondence and other material related to the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society, founded in Stockholm in 1906. The society performed plays in Yiddish for many years until it disbanded in the 1950s.
The archive consists largely of theatre programmes and other printed matter such as flyers, posters and admission tickets, from the company’s many productions. The printed material often has parallel texts in Swedish and Yiddish (sometimes transcribed). The company had a wide repertoire, putting on plays by S. Ansky, I. L. Perez, Mordechai Hussid, Peretz Hirschbein, Mordchai Hussid, Abraham Goldfaden, Scholem Aleichem, Stefan Zweig, Richard Beer-Hoffman, Meilech Rawitch and others.
The collection includes material from productions of Spågumman (1910), Reb Herzele mejuches (1923), Der Batlen (1923), Chanele di Nehterin (1924), Der Idiot (1924) Das Pintele Yid (1925), Di Mischpoche (1927), A Moters Harz (1928), Kinder fargesen nit (1928), Schlejmke Scharlatan (1928), Schwer zu sein a id (1929), Herschele Dubrowner (1929), Mirele Efros (1929), 200.000 (1930), Grine Felder (1931), Tevie der Milcheker (1932), Idische Königin Lear (1932), Mirele Efros (1932), Grüne Felder (1933), Dos Groise Gevins (1942), Tevje der Milchiger (1943), Di Goldgreber (1943), Der Dibbuk (1945), A Gefeferte Megile (1946), Rosinkes mit Mandlen (1947) and Di Zwej Kuni-Lemls (1948).
It attracted internationally known actors of the Yiddish stage such as Adolf Timjanoff, Lin Jaldati, Zipora Fajnsilber, Josef Glikson, Zygmunt and Rozi Turkow, Chayele Grober, Niussea Gold, Rochl Korn, Josef Leftvitsch, Chajele Grober, David Wardi, Ferris Gondic, Chave Joelit, Saly Naumow, Mila Weislitz, M. Potasinsky, Sonja Alomis and Alexander Asro and groups such as Di Wilner Truppe and Habima.
The archive also has papers relating to the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society’s productions for Holocaust survivors, brought to Sweden as part of the aid operations by the Red Cross and UNRRA. In the period 1945-1948, the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society put on productions for survivors in temporary rehabilitation camps in Fagersjö, Neglinge, Strängnäs, Sigtuna, Avesta, Enköping, Turinge, Doverstorp, Vingåker, Helsingborg, Malmö, Gothenburg and Falun.
There are two printed booklets with the rules and regulations of the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society in Yiddish and two hand-painted set designs with text in Yiddish for an unidentified production. The collection also includes a number of newspaper cuttings from Swedish daily newspapers (for example, Svenska Dagbladet, Dagens Nyheter and Östergötlands Folkblad) and periodicals (for example, Scenen and Menora) advertising the society’s activities and with reviews of specific productions.
The collection also includes 76 photographs documenting the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society’s performances. Most were taken by the world-renowned photographer Anna Riwkin-Brick. Several of the actors and plays have been identified and these photographs include 16 attached loose sheets of notes about the identifications.
The archive also includes a small collection of correspondence with three incoming letters to the society’s members. The first letter was to the chairman of the society, Bernhard Scheiman, from the Jewish Club in Stockholm about performances and events (19 April 1942); the second letter was to Khaim Kraitsik from D. Marmur of the Israeli legation in Sweden about a concert by Shimon Finkel and Josefa Shocken (2 July 1957); the third letter was from Jacob Beller of the Daily Hebrew Journal in Toronto (1955).
There is also some miscellaneous material relating to the society’s activities, including a letter from Jossie Granditsky, one of the society’s members (8 October 1988), a booklet entitled Jiddischteater – En skapelseberättelse (‘Yiddish theatre – A Creation story’) by Roland Haeberlein, Sarah-Lizzie Saks and Peter Saks and an article about the history of the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society.
- Archival history:
- The archive of the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society was acquired by the museum between 1987 and 1992.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society was founded in Stockholm in 1906 by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. They wanted to preserve Yiddish as a language and to safeguard Jewish identity and culture. For many years the society, among whose members were Bernhard Scheiman, Josef Granditsky and his family, Khaim Kraitsik and Sara Mehr, staged plays in Yiddish in Sweden. Several of the plays were directed by Jura Tamkin and put on in Stockholm’s main concert hall and the theatres of Borgarskolan, Vasateatern and Medborgarhuset. It disbanded in the 1950s. Several of the company’s productions were documented by the world-renowned photographer Anna Riwkin-Brick.
In addition to plays, the Jewish Amateur Dramatic Society also held literary and musical soirées with famous writers and artists, helped by organisations such as Rodeph Chesed, Judisk Ungdom, the cultural section of the World Jewish Congress, Zionistiska föreningen (the Zionist Association), Hebreiska klubben (the Hebrew Club), the Grodno TOZ branch in Stockholm, the Jiddischer Kultur-Winkl in Uppsala and the Jidishe shrajber-grupe in Shwedn.
- Access points: locations:
- Avesta
- Doverstorp
- Enköping
- Fagersjö
- Falun
- Gothenburg
- Helsingborg
- Malmö
- Neglinge
- Sigtuna
- Stockholm
- Strängnäs
- Sweden
- Turinge
- Vingåker
- Access points: persons/families:
- Alomis, Sonja
- Asro, Alexander
- Fajnsilber, Zipora
- Glikson, Josef
- Gold, Niussea
- Gondic, Ferris
- Granditsky, Jossie
- Grober, Chajele
- Grober, Chayele
- Jaldati, Lin
- Joelit, Chave
- Korn, Rochl
- Leftvitsch, Josef
- Naumow, Saly
- Potasinsky, M
- Riwkin-Brick, Anna
- Timjanoff, Adolf
- Turkow, Rozi
- Turkow, Zygmunt
- Wardi, David
- Weislitz, Mila
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum in Stockholm
- Author of the description:
- Andreas Schein; Jewish Museum of Stockholm; March 2022