Lipovski, Nachum

The collection contains play manuscripts, programs, playbills, posters, photographs, correspondence, agreements, scrapbooks, clippings, printed ephemera, and memorabilia relating to Yiddish theater primarily in the early twentieth century, especially the interwar period. Also included are items of printed ephemera related to Yiddish film, Hebrew theater, and a broad range of Jewish performers, including cantors, singers and dancers. Geographically, the materials originate predominantly in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe, including parts of the Russian Empire and, later, the Soviet Union; and, to a lesser extent, the United States, especially New York City. Also included are materials from Western Europe, Palestine (Eretz Israel), South America, and other regions around the world. Among the theater personalities represented in the collection with significant amounts of material are Herz Grossbard, David Herman, Joseph Winogradoff, Rudolf Zaslavsky, Zygmunt Turkow, Jonas Turkow, Moyshe Lipman, Ida Kaminska, and Esther Rachel Kaminska. The theater groups best represented include the Varshever Yidisher Kunst-Teater (VYKT; Warsaw Yiddish Art Theater), founded by Zygmunt Turkow and Ida Kaminska; the Vilna Troupe; Yung Teater / Nay Teater (Warsaw; Vilna), under the direction of Michael Weichert; the Moscow State Yiddish Theater (known by its Russian acronym "GOSET"); Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre, of New York; and the Hebrew theater "Habimah." A wide variety of other professional as well as amateur theater groups are represented with smaller amounts of material.

This series contains documents from actors, singers, composers, directors, all members of the YAF in Poland. These documents include correspondence, convention delegate cards, photographs, certificates, questionnaire forms, reviews, and other materials relating to individuals.

This subseries contains a small amount of personal papers of Nahum Lipovski, including correspondence, agreements, financial records, ephemera, and clippings, related to his activities as a theater director. The correspondence includes papers concerning resolution of a financial dispute at Lipovski's Yidisher Folks-Teater in Vilna; financial records include those of a theater troupe on tour in an unidentified city in Russia in 1919.

See also, in Subseries III.2, Soviet Union / Russian Empire, printing blocks of a theater troupe, possibly related to Lipovski (Folder 801), as well as Russian-language theater periodicals dating from the First World War that contain material related to him (Folders 809 and 810).

Mostly programs with theater name "Ershter Yidisher Folks-Teater," founder Nahum Lipovski, with one for the opening of the theater under that name, featuring an address by Abraham Morewski, dated by hand 5 February 1926. Two programs are in Yiddish and Russian, with theater name "Fereynigter Idisher Folks-Teater," circa 1919; and one is for a performance to benefit the family of Zvi Hirsh Dashevsky, dated 5 October 1926. Three programs are for guest appearances of Lidia Potocka in Edward Sheldon's "Roman," circa 1927; on two the theater name is given as "Yidisher Folks-Teater," under the direction of Zolotarew. One of the latter items is for a special performance of the play in connecction with the "Vokh fun gezunt" (Week of health), with introductory remarks by Dr. Zemach Shabad.

Theater name "Folks-Teater," founder Nahum Lipovski, under the direction of Lipovski and Moyshe Karpinowicz (Karpinovitsh). Includes two program booklets dating from fall 1928, one featuring Abe Karp (no. 176532), the other a Yidish troupe under the direction of Sholem Brin (no. 176801); and a program for the "Varshever yidishn artistn vinkl" directed by Moyshe Lipman, dated by hand 1928. Other featured performers include Vera Kanevska and Paul Breitman, and violinist Marja (Manye) Bloch. One item is for an event in honor of Zalmen Zylbercweig's Theater Lexicon, July 1928.

Lacks a list of characters. Accession no. 349/3610 (stamp).

Translation by an unidentified author, of Sudermann's German-language play Johannisfeuer. This is probably an earlier version of the translation by Nahum Lipovski found in Folder 4157.

Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, 17 June[?] 1914, and stamp for tax, 17 June 1914 (title page), as well as red wax seal (last page). Also, Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Accession no. 345/3606 (stamp).

Translation by Nahum Lipovski, of Sudermann's German-language play Johannisfeuer. This manuscript is likely a later version of the same translation as found in Folder 4156; it appears to incorporate the emendations indicated in pencil in the other manuscript.

Localities: Dvinsk (Daugavpils), Memel (Klaipėda), Vilna

Mostly programs for troupes under the direction of Lipovski, predominantly at the Tsirk Teater and the Ershter Yidisher Folks-Teater, Vilna. Plays performed include: "A mames herts" by Averbukh; "Der vilner balebesl" by Arnstein; "Lebedig un lustig" and "Dos yunge vaybl" by Boymvol, with music by Weinberg; "Di royz fun shtambul" by Julius Brommer and Alfred Grünwald, with music by Leo Fall; "Bar Kokhba," "Kabtsenzohn un Hungerman," "Beyde Kuni Lemls," "Shulamis," and "Kishefmakhern" by Goldfaden; "Di brider Lurye" and "Got, mentsh un tayvl" by Jacob Gordin; "Uriel Akosta" by Gutzkow; "Di kamelyen damen" by Dumas (fils); "A farvorfn vinkl" by Peretz Hirschbein; "Di vayse shklafin" by Zolatarevsky; "Der kinig" by Iushkevich; "Yudishe herts," "Ishe roe," and "Khurbn Yerusholaim" by Lateiner; "Di damen shpilke" and "Dos kind fun visnshaft" by Lipovski; "Dos yudishe lebn" by Lebel; "Di yudin," translated by Lerner; "Fishke der krumer" by Mendele Moykher Sforim; "Malkele soldat" by I. Nozyk; "Yankl der shmid" by David Pinski; "Khanele di neytorin" and "Shabes koydesh" by Feinman; "Di amerikaner helden" by Kornblith; "Shir Hashirim," "A mentsh zol men zayn," "Di yudishe neshome," and "Borg mir dayn vayb" by A. Shor; "Der yakhsn" and "Di getsvungene khasene" by M. Schorr; "Kol Nidre" by Sharkansky; "Shprintse di odeser meklerin" by Shaikewitz; "Di yidishe Madam Iks" by Schnitzler; and "200,000" by Sholem Aleichem. One program is for a memorial evening for Lipovski's first yahrzeit, at the Folks-Teater in Vilna, January 1929. 53 items.

One photo by S. Shmulilov, Šiauliai [?]. One item is a small poster depicting Lipovski surrounded by portraits of various Jewish and non-Jewish cultural figures; the latter is stored in Oversize Box 96. 7 items.

Contains 3 acts. On the title page the Yiddish title is transliterated in Russian characters. Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917 (verso of page stamped no. 170941). Accession no. 473/3734 (stamp).

Adapted from an unidentified source, probably by an author other than Lipovski (Zylbercweig, II: 1101). Zylbercweig gives the full title as "Di opgenarte damen, oder, lozhe numer 6" (The deceived ladies, or loge no. 6).

The title page is in Yiddish transliterated in Russian characters; also, the title "A modner gast" is penciled on the cover, in Yiddish characters. Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, 20 June 1914, and stamp for tax, 23 May 1914, 19 June 1914 (title page), as well as red wax seal (last page). Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Notebook made by firm Herm. Danziger, Riga. Accession no. 368/3629 (stamp).

Translated from an unidentified source, probably by an author other than Lipovski (Zylbercweig II: 1101).

Dated at the end, in Russian, Kharkov, 29 December 1916. Includes song lyrics at the end of the play, and on two loose leaves (stamped no. 170991-170992). Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Accession no. 333/3594 (stamp). According to Zylbercweig (II: 1101), probably by an author other than Lipovski.

Dated at the end, in Russian, Vilna, 6 August 1914. Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, 24 January 1915, and stamp for tax, 26 November 1914. Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Sketch of the stage on inside front cover. Accession no. 401/3662 (stamp).

According to a handwritten note by Zalmen Zylbercweig, dated Vilna, 5 July 1933 (stamped no. 170993), the work is in reality the operetta "Shoshana di tsnue" (Chaste Susanna), composed by Jean Gilbert, in the Yiddish translation by Yankev Vaksman and Pesach Kaplan; Zylbercweig explains that, as in other cases, Lipovski gave his own name as the author in order to avoid paying author honoraria. Zylbercweig's lexicon entry on Lipovski (II: 1101) conveys a similar point, with mention of this manuscript. See also: another manuscript of "Shoshana di tsnue," in Folder 4145A.

Montage of the couple and their son Simkhe (Sasha) Lipovski. 1 item.

Title page gives alternate title transliterated in Russian: "Khantshe in Amerike." Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, 31 October 1913, and stamp for tax, 29 October 1913 (title page), as well as red wax seal (last page). Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917, and Yiddish-language stamp of N. Lipovski as administrator, "Idishe truppe," and honorary member of the Russian Imperial Dramatic Association. Accession no. 335/3596 (stamp).

According to the title page, a work by "Lebel," translated ("übersetzt") by N. S. Lipovski; however, it is evidently an adaptation of "Khantshe in Amerike" by N. Rakow.

Penciled sketch of the stage below the list of characters (verso of title page), as well as other smaller sketches (versos of page no. 171795, 171798, 171808). Accession no. 377/3638 (stamp).

Translation by Lipovski, of a Russian-language work by Nevezhin.

Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, and stamp for tax, 5 July 1914 (title page), as well as remnant of red wax seal (last page). Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Accession no. 325/3586 (stamp).

Translation by Nahum Lipovski, of a Russian-language play by Evtikhii Karpov (1857-1926).

Russian censor's stamp, St. Petersburg, 10 December 1914, and stamp for tax (title page), as well as red wax seal (last page). Russian-language stamp of N. S. Lipovski Theater, 6 February 1917. Accession no. 339/3600 (stamp).

Translation by Nahum Lipovski, of Shakespeare's Othello.