THE BROTHERS ASHKENAZI1,
by I. J. Singer
(Yiddish: Di brider ashkenazi)
"The
Brothers Ashkenazi" is a play in two
parts and seventeen scenes,
dramatized and directed by Maurice
Schwartz and I. J. Singer.
From a
review in the New York Post of 21
September 1937, in part: "The
synopsis assures us that 'Brothers
Ashkenzai' is the long, turbulent
story of two twin brothers whose
destinies find them pitted against
one another in pre-war Poland and
reunited for a tragic interval in
Russia during the revolution.
Obviously it is a rich, full tale
Mr. Singer has to tell.... Mr.
Schwartz and his associates are
actors who achieve their effects
broadly; that the group effects are
well-handled; that all the players
use their hands and wrists with
uncommon eloquence, and that the
chanting scenes before the curtains
are by now familiar devices in Mr.
Schwartz's productions...."
The
Yiddish Art Theatre first staged
this play on 20 September 1937 at
the Yiddish Art Theatre, at 932
Seventh Avenue, New York City.
This
play was part of the Yiddish Art
Theatre's eighteenth season.
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photo:
Advertisement for "The Brothers
Ashkenazi", 1937.
From the "Forward". Courtesy of the
Museum of the City of New York. |
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The
cast of this production included:
Julius Adler, Jerome Robbins, Izidore
Casher, Leah Naomi, Victor Marcus,
Frank Schechtman, Maurice Schwartz,
Samuel Goldenburg, Gerta Rosen,
Helen Beverly, Zvi Scooler, Anna
Teitelbaum, Michael Rosenberg, Liza
Silbert, Samuel Rudensky, Kurt Katch,
Clara Deutschman, Moische
Silberkasten, Janet Brand, Wolf
Goldfaden, Sonia Gurskaya, Nuchem
Brind, David Alexander, Bertha Hart,
Adolf Erberg, Reuben Wendorf, Norman
Gewirtzman, Wolf Goldblum, Jacob
Nadler, Esther Neroslavskaya,
Elizabeth Charney, Reuben Dorf, Moishe Strassberg,
Abraham Teitelbaum, Aaron
Sternberg, Hirsh Kirshman, Esther Neroslavskya,
Philo Bira, Zwee Stern, Miriam Wajda, Celia
Lipzin, Elizabeth Charney, William
Krause, Sonia Berman, Yudel
Dubinsky, Zeb Gold, Morris
Strassberg, Leonard Zurit, Solomon
Krause, Aaron Sternberg, Arthur
Spencer, Robert Harris, Leon Kirsky,
Jacob Shuchman, Wolf Goldfaden, A.
Erbstein, Harry Kerr, Sonia Gurski
and Adolph Erber. |
photo: Anna Teitelbaum
in "The Brothers Ashkenazi", 1937. Photograph by
Ivan Bussatt. Courtesy of the Museum of the City
of New York. |
Photomontage of cast and poster for
"The Brothers Ashkenazi"
Photograph by Ivan Busatt
1937
Courtesy of the Museum of the City
of New York |
So then, here is the
synopsis of Singer's "The Brothers
Ashkenazi". The
name of the actor or actress who portrayed a particular
role is indicated in parentheses:
SYNOPSIS
PART ONE
Scene 1: The
action starts in the early part of the
nineteenth century, after Napoleon's retreat
from Russia by way of Poland. The industrial
city of Lodz which subsequently became known as
the Manchester of Poland, was a mere village at
that time with a handful of Jews living in a
separate Jewish quarter. The Jews--artisans and
small traders--are startled one day by the
appearance of several hundred covered wagons at
the village gates. The entire population gathers
in the tavern to meet the newcomers. Several
Germans appear. Their leader, the youthful Heinz
Huntze (Kurt Katch), tells them that they had
been invited by the Russian government to
develop the textile industry in the land, and
that the Jews will not be permitted to import
textiles of foreign manufacture anymore. The
Jews are disturbed by the news. Johanan
Ashkenazi (Julius Adler), the head of the nearby
Jewish community of Lentchitz appears. He
counsels calm and advises the Jews of Lodz to
become weavers. He argues that if it was worth
the while of these people to come all the way
from Germany in order to work here, it will
certainly prove worthwhile for the local
inhabitants. He envisages the future of Lodz as
a great Jewish community and predicts that his
son, Abraham Hersh (Izidore Casher), will some
day be the communal leader.
Scene 2: Thirty years
later. The prophecy of Johann Ashkenazi came
true. His son, Abraham Hersh, is the recognized
leader of the large Jewish community of Lodz. He
is perturbed because some Jews neglect to
observe the Hebraic laws, but he is even more
perturbed by the fact that his wife, Roise (Leah
Naomi), objects to his contemplated journey to
spend the Passover holidays with his spiritual
leader, the Chassidic Rabbi. She is about to
give birth to a child and does not want to be
left alone through the ordeal. A group of poor
Chassidim, disciples of the same Rabbi, whom the
affluent Abraham Hersh usually takes along with
him at his expense, appear and urge upon him not
to succumb to family sentimentalities, because
the pilgrimage to the Rabbi is of much greater
importance. Abraham Hersh finally decides to
ignore the pleas of his wife and he leaves home
for the holiday. On Passover eve his wife's
labor pains begin. She is being waited upon by a
number of women from the neighborhood. She gives
birth to male twins. The older of the twins is
tiny and lean, and the younger one is big and
robust. They are given double names--the older
one is named Simcha Meyer (as child, Victor
Marcus), and the younger one Jacob Bunim (as
child, Frank Schechtman).
Scene 3: Heinz
Huntze, the German weaver, has become the King
of the textile industry asking for favors:
Abraham Hersh Ashkenazi who is now the
merchandising agent for Huntze's factory, calls
upon him of Lodz. His employees wait on him,
accompanied by his two young sons. He wants the
boys to see the factory and at the same time,
utilize the visit to offer Huntze important
advice. He urges upon Huntze to stop the
business competition with his rival Getzke by
creating a partnership through a merger of the
firms. Meanwhile Huntze is impressed by the
young Simcha Meyer (Maurice Schwartz), who is
very keen, clever and extremely ambitious. As
for the idea of a partnership with his business
rival Getzke, he spurns it at first, but his
merchandising agent succeeds in convincing him
that a merger of the two rival firms is the only
way to save the Huntze factory from ruin through
cut-throat competition. Huntze finally
acquiesces and promises to appoint Ashkenazi the
sole General Agent of the combined factories.
Scene 4: In the
primitive hand loom establishment of Chaim
Alter (Michael Rosenberg). The Jewish workers,
employing antiquated methods of production, are
forced to toil until the late hours of the
night. The weaver Tevye (Abraham Teitelbaum),
who has become "contaminated" with new ideas, is
propagandizing the workers against their
employer. He points out to them that they are
being mercilessly exploited. He harps on the
idea that their employer is amassing a fortune
out of their inhuman toil in order to provide a
large dowry for his daughter Dinah so that he
may get the brilliant Simcha Meyer as a husband
for her. The employer Chaim Alter meanwhile
implores them to work with greater zeal, for
which he will reward them With an invitation to
his daughter's wedding.
Scene 5: The wedding day of Simcha Meyer
Ashkenazi and Dinah (Gerta Rosen), the daughter
of Chaim Alter. Chaim Alter is besieged by
insistent creditors. His troubles are augmented
by his daughter's tearful pleading not to marry
her off to Simcha Meyer whom she does not love.
She is in love with his brother Jacob Bunim
(Samuel Goldenburg) instead, and he is in love
with her too. Her mother arrives on the scene
and both parents are imploring her to consider
herself lucky to be the bride of the brilliant
and promising Simcha Meyer. The bridegroom
arrives in the company of his twin brother and
other guests. Pearl Eisen (Anna Teitelbaum),
young daughter of a wealthy Chassidic family, is
attracted to Jacob Bunim and starts a subtle
flirtation with him. But Jacob Bunim is in
agonies because his brother is marrying the girl
he loves. There are bickerings because the full
sum of the promised dowry has not been delivered
and because the bride's father had invited some
people who seem too frivolous to the pious
Ashkenazi and his Chassidic cronies. But all the
differences are settled amicably and the
marriage ceremony takes place.
Scene 6: Dinah's birthday some years after her
marriage. She is immersed in sadness. She does
not love her husband. Some guests arrive. Jacob
Bunim and his wife, the former Pearl Eisen, are
among them. Jacob Bunim clearly shows his
affection for Dinah, which displeases both his
brother and his wife. After the guests leave
Chaim Alter confides in his son-in-law that he
is on the verge of bankruptcy. He asks the
son-in-law to lend him his dowry money. The
ambitious Simcha Meyer seizes this opportunity
and forces his heavily involved father-in-law to
make him a full-fledged partner in his business.
He boasts to Dinah about his ascent into full
partnership, but she pays no attention to him.
He is constantly in the throes of jealousy and
is driven on by a passion for power. He ventures
the prediction that he will raise his
father-in-law's primitive hand loom
establishment to the status of a great textile
factory; that he will introduce steam engines
and that he will outstrip Heinz Huntze.
Scene 7: The
workers of Chaim Alter's hand loom establishment
have gathered in the synagogue for the Sabbath
prayers. Tevye speaks to them about the labor
conditions of the weavers, which have become
even more unbearable since Simcha Meyer became a
partner of the old boss. Tevye pro- poses that
they, the workers, organize and demand a
fourteen-hour work day and other conditions
which seemed quite revolutionary in those days.
Scene 8: The office of Abraham Ashkenazi is
teaming with storekeepers who have come to buy
textiles from him. Simcha Meyer enters and
reproaches his father for selling goods on
credit. Here he also meets his mother who asks
him why he never visits his parents at their
home. He apologizes explaining that he is a very
busy man. Huntze arrives. He solicits the advice
of Abraham Hersh as to whether he should give
his children money which they want to pay to the
czarist governor so that he may obtain for him a
title of nobility. Abraham Hersh disapproves of
the idea. Simcha Meyer makes use of the
opportunity to ingratiate himself with Huntze
through flattery. As soon as Huntze leaves an
argument ensues between father and son. The
father detests his son's greed and his brutal
attitude towards people. The son criticizes his
father's antediluvian business methods. The
father asks the son to give him his hand, in
accordance with an ancient custom, as an
assurance that he will never deviate from the
faith of his fathers for the sake of money. The
father then offers him his hand and the son
ignores it. The father then slaps Simcha Meyer's
face. Simcha Meyer then decides to advance to
the young Huntzes the money they want in order
to buy the knighthood for their family so that
he may gain their favor and in time replace his
father as the General Agent for the Huntze firm.
He telephones to them and they ask him to meet
them in a night club which they frequent. Simcha
Meyer immediately changes the traditional Jewish
garb for modern clothes in order to impress the
young Huntzes.
PART TWO
Scene 1: With the
aid of Simcha Meyer's money the young Huntzes
have succeeded in obtaining the Barony for their
father. The occasion is being celebrated by a
reception and ball. The old man, Heinz Huntze,
attempts to deliver a speech of acceptance
before the Governor and the guests, but he gets
hopelessly involved and confused. He is escorted
out of the ballroom. The guests then burst out
laughing at his crude and common manners.
Scene 2: Huntze
dies and his heirs dismiss their father's
General Agent and appoint Sirncha Meyer to his
place. By now Simcha Meyer has had his name
changed to Max. He brings to the business new
methods and new people. His father hands over to
him the keys and the books. Max dismisses all
the old-fashioned employees because they are
distasteful to the new barons.
Scene 3: Max
Ashkenazi has succeeded in amassing wealth and
power, but his wife Dinah has not been made
happier by it. Jacob Bunim, who has changed his
name to Yacob and has discarded the traditional
garb for modern clothes after his father's
death, has become the General Agent for a
textile firm which is now the chief competitor
of the Huntze factory. He calls on his brother
Max for an accounting of the inheritance. He
meets Dinah and speaks of his undying love for
her. Max is jealous. At the height of a quarrel
over the estate of their father, Yacob spits at
his brother, disdainfully waiving the claim to
his rightful share. To which Max replies "an
insult goes, but money stays," and his wife
counters: "Money goes but an insult sticks."
Scene 4: In his
passionate quest for power, Max Ashkenazi
neglects his home and his children. His son
Ignatz (Zvi Scooler) hates him. His daughter
Gertrude (Helen Beverly) falls in love with her
highly personable and elegant uncle. She demands
from her uncle that he divorce his wife and
marry her. Yacob, who sees in Gertrude the
reincarnation of her mother and loves her
dearly, is reluctant, because he does not want
to hurt Dinah. But Gertrude, who had inherited
her father's obstinacy and strength of
character, forces her love upon him.
Scene 5: 1914. The
world war. Max Ashkenazi, now the chief
executive of the Huntze factory, has become the
Industrial King of Lodz. He works incessantly
and is being harassed by labor troubles. He
gets heart attacks, but he ignores them and
never stops working. One of the Huntze sons
arrives from abroad and is asking for money. Max
Ashkenazi informs him that he, Ashkenazi, is now
the majority stockholder and in sole control of
the business. The young Baron accuses him of
deception. Max replies that while he was
laboring to create wealth, the young Barons did
nothing but squander money. That is why they
lost their fortune. Max realizes his power as
the Industrial King of Lodz and is happy and
proud. But his wife brings him bad tidings. She
tells him that their daughter ran off and
married Yacob. There are mutual recriminations.
The infuriated Max shouts his resolution that he
will use everything in his power to wrest his
daughter from his brother. Whereupon a Russian
general arrives and informs him that the German
armies are approaching and the Russians are
evacuating the city. Max must act quickly now to
save his fortune. He decides to go immediately
to St. Petersburg to arrange for the transfer of
his factory to the Russian capital. His family
refuses to follow him and he goes alone.
Scene 6: October
1917 during the Russian revolution. Max
Ashkenazi and Tevye, the two old class
adversaries, meet again. Tevye who spent many
years in czarist prisons, is now an important
official of the new government. He confiscates
the factory and arrests its owner.
Scene 7: Yacob
Ashkenazi disregards all of his brother's former
behavior and makes an hazardous journey to
Russia in order to induce the Tcheka to release
his brother. He succeeds. Max and Yacob meet
again. Max is deeply moved and full of remorse.
He realizes that everything in life is ephemeral
and only the kinship of blood endures. He
promises to start a new life together with his
brother and the rest of the family.
Scene 8: On
reaching the Polish border, the two brothers are
detained by anti-Semitic Polish soldiers. A
sadistic officer is in charge, and he takes
pains to degrade the two prominent Lodz Jews by
commanding them to dance before the jeering mob.
Max goes into this dance of shame in order to
save his life. But Yacob is proud and indignant.
When he, too, is ordered to dance, he slaps the
officer's face and is shot to death instantly.
Scene 9: Max
Ashkenazi was sincere in his resolution to start
a new life, but the death of his brother had a
shattering effect upon him. The members of his
family and townsmen, who come to visit him, are
trying to comfort him, but he can find no
solace. He recites to the daughter plaintive
verses from the book of Job. And when he begins
to say The Prayer for the Dead for his martyred
brother, he is stricken with a fatal heart
attack. The sound of a factory siren in the
distance is bewailing the passing of the man
whose life went up in smoke.
Albert
Einstein and Mayor LaGuardia
with cast from "The Brothers Ashkenazi"
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York
1937 |