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Leah
Levebrovski
(Dikhtenberg)
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Born on 27 April 1891 in
Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a minor grain trader.
Through a friend she became acquainted with "amateurs,"
and with them began to act in Yiddish theatre. After her
marriage to Avraham Levebravski, a former governor and
then a Yiddish actor, she became a professional actress
and played together with her husband in various troupes.
After the liberation of Poland, she toured around the
province most of the time with her husband in various
troupes, as well as after his death in 1928, at first by
herself and later with her daughter Reizl (the future
wife of actor Max Bozyk.)
About the last period, Jonas
Turkow writes:
"Leah Levebravski, one of
the the 360 Yiddish actors who farmlkhmhdike
Poland had possessed, was destined to play such an
important role in Jewish social life during the Nazi
Occupation of Warsaw. She was the business manager of
the Yiddish 'actors' kitchen,' in the one location of
the former "Yiddish Artists' Union," at Leszno 2. This
kitchen served not only the entire Yiddish theatre
world, but she also was the 'akhsnih' for the
Yiddish writers, culture and social workers. They did
not have greater or better food products to give out, as
it came from other kitchens of the social workers.
Nevertheless, this food was tasty, homey and delicious
as in other 'people's kitchens.' The 'artists' kitchen'
had a reputation for its excellent business and warm
atmosphere. |
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... The artists' union,
which could be found at Leszno 2, was immediately
transformed into a kitchen for the artists who were
unemployed for a ling time, and they were offered social
assistance. The artists' union began to give out lunches
to their members and their families, and later-- also
breakfast and evening breads. The kitchen had managers:
Zimbalist, Danziger, Lui, Bryn, Kurz and Marsalov. The
lunches were cooked and served to the guest, the
artisan, by Masha Rotman and Levebravski at the head,
who had tried her best to feed and delight her
actor-friends and guests who were continually arriving
in this kitchen. Leah Levebravski inserted her warm
heart into her work around the 'artists' kitchen,' and
she had endeared it as a mother would-- her only child.
During the Nazi Occupation,
Leah Levebravski dedicated herself to oysshlislekh
the 'artists' kitchen,' for which she worked so hard and
gave her heart. If blessings and wishes would fulfill,
the good and love, Leah Levebravski would not have
needed to have her life ended in such a cruel manner."
According to her son-in-law
Max Bozyk, in 1941 she was deported to Warsaw, together
with her son Joseph to Treblinka, and she was killed
there. Her son was cast out of a running train, endured
as a peasant in a village, and he survived. Now he lives
as a fisherman in the land of Israel with his family.
Sh. E. from
Max Bozyk.
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"Lexicon of
the Yiddish Theatre," Warsaw, Vol. 2, 1934, page
1155.
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Jonas Turkow-- "Azoy
iz es geven," Buenos Aires, 1948, pages 88, 242.
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Jonas Turkow--
"Extinguished Stars," Buenos Aires, 1953, Vol. 2,
pages 233-237.
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