The Moscow State Yiddish Theater: Jewish Culture on the Soviet Stage (Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian & East European Studies) [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Veidlinger (Author)

Book Description

Series: Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian & East European Studies | Publication Date: February 2001

This is the first book in English to trace the fascinating and tragic history of the Moscow State Yiddish theatre, 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 WWII, secular Yiddish culture was in fact 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 Yiddish State Theatre, 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 under the guise of conventional socialist realism, a stellar group of artists, writers, choreographers, directors, and actors brought to life shtetl fables, biblical heroes, Israelite lore, exilic laments, and dilemmas of contemporary life before the theatre and many of its principal figures fell victim to Stalinist anti-semitism and xenophobia after World War II. Enhanced by rare photographs of the theatre's artists and performances, "The Moscow Yiddish State Theater" brings to life a complex period in the history and culture of Soviet Jewry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A product of in-depth research in Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, and English, The Moscow State Yiddish Theater not only furthers our knowledge of the Yiddish theater in the Soviet Union, but it also deepens and revises our understanding of the Kremlin's policy toward Jewish society and culture from 1919 to the early 1950s." --Robert Weinberg " ... this fascinating book ... Based on impressive archival research in Russia and Israel ... [this book] gives an engaging overview of Soviet cultural policies more generally. The reader comes away with an appreciation for the rich diversity of Soviet Union's cultural experiments, a diversity that was lost as the country descended into the Cold War.

From the Publisher

Reveals the enduring impact of forced service in the Tsarist army on both Russian Jewish youth and Russian Jewish literary culture. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253337844
• ISBN-13: 978-0253337849
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,880,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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