150 Years of Modern Yiddish Theater: The One-Act Play
Tuition: $360 | YIVO members: $270**
This is a live, online course held weekly on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 25 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Google Classroom. Students will be granted access to the class on Google Classroom after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish.
Instructor: Abraham Lichtenbaum
Prior to the late 19th century, theater for the sake of entertainment had little precedent among Eastern European Jews, but the Yiddish stage nonetheless became a lasting cultural phenomenon. The one-act play became an especially important resource, serving as an accessible means for Yiddish-speaking audiences to acquaint themselves with important literary works and unfamiliar contexts. I.L. Peretz’s characterization of the Yiddish theater as “a school for grown-ups” was an inspiration to many Yiddish writers, especially those of younger generations. In this course, we will read and discuss the following selection of one-acts, each of which played an important role in the development of the form:
Yankev Gordin – “Who is Guilty?”
Dovid Pinski – “The Eternal Jew”
I.L. Peretz – “Fire!”
I.L. Peretz – “Musar”
Mendele Moykher-Sforim – “The Kosher Meat Tax”
Sholem Aleichem – “Mazl-tov”
Sholem Aleichem – “The World to Come”
טעאַטער לשם פֿאַרװײַלונג און קונסט איז געווען אַ נײַס אין דער געשיכטע פֿון מזרח־אייראָפּעיִשע ייִדן און איז געװאָרן אַ פּערמאַנענטער קולטור־פֿענאָמען. דער איינאַקטער איז געװאָרן אַ װיכטיקער רעסורס צו באַקענען דעם ייִדיש־רעדנדיקן עולם מיט װיכטיקע ליטעראַרישע שאַפֿונגען און מיט פֿרעמדע װעלטן און צײַטן. פּרצעס לאָזונג “טעאַטער – אַ שול פֿאַר דערװאַקסענע˝ האָט סטימולירט די ליטעראַטן פֿון יענער צײַט, ספּעציעל די יונגע. מיר װעלן לייענען איינאַקטערס װאָס האָבן געשפּילט אַ װיכטיקע ראָלע אין דער אַנטװיקלונג פֿון דער קונסטפֿאָרעם.
יעקבֿ גאָרדין – איז ער שולדיק?
דוד פּינסקי – דער אייביקער ייִד
י.־ל. פּרץ – ס′ברענט
י.־ל. פּרץ – מוסר
מענדעלע מוכר־ספֿרים – אַמאָליקע בעלי־טובֿים (די טאַקסע)
שלום־עליכם – מזל־טובֿ
שלום־עליכם – עולם־הבא
Yiddish Level:
This course, conducted in Yiddish, is designed for upper intermediate and advanced Yiddish students, or those with a strong ability to understand written and spoken Yiddish.
Course Materials:
The instructor will provide all required course materials digitally throughout the class on Google Classroom.
Questions? Read our 2027 Winter Yiddish Seminars FAQ.
Abraham Lichtenbaum was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina; received his education in Yiddish, Jewish history, Hebrew and pedagogy in Israel and Argentina; and has taught at primary and high schools. He served as the principal of the Sholem-Aleykhem-Mitlshul for 25 years.
Currently, he is Executive Director Emeritus of the Buenos Aires YIVO (Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut, known in Argentina as the Fundación IWO) and teaches Yiddish at Argentinian universities and for the Education Department of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.