Molly Picon in Bublitchki
Year: 1938
Type: Photograph
Repository: American Jewish Historical Society
Moshe Leib-Halpern had this to say about Yiddish theater in America:
“There was once a vulgarian who went to synagogue … when he wanted to weep, and to a bawdyhouse … when he wanted to be gay. But once, when he wanted to weep and be gay at the…
Happy (Belated) Birthday, Emma Goldman!
by Melanie J. Meyers, Senior Reference Services Librarian, Center for Jewish History
“No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution… revolution is but thought carried into action.” –Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an influential political thinker, anarchist and feminist. She was born on June 27, 1869 to an orthodox Jewish family…
Molly Picon
by Anna Khomina, Research and Special Projects Intern, Center for Jewish History
In 1903, at five years old, Molly Picon (1898-1992) was on her way to a Philadelphia theater for a contest. On the trolley car, a drunken passenger challenged her to perform her act on the spot, and she complied, adding on an imitation of the drunk at the end,…
Yiddish Theater
by Anna Khomina, Research and Special Projects Intern, Center for Jewish History
The tradition of Yiddish theater in America began in the 1880s and flourished into the 1920s, as Jewish immigrants streaming in from Eastern Europe yearned for a taste of the old country as well as a mode of entertainment and a gathering space that distracted them from the bustle and…