It is said that Yiddish theater, written and performed for the most part
by Jews, originated in the various traditional Purim plays. These
satirical plays were generally derived from the biblical Book of Esther, though this
particular
Purim Shpiele, whose cast of characters is pictured below, had to do with Joseph being sold into slavery
by his brothers to Ismael. Often, the subject of a Purim Shpiele was topical. These plays,
usually performed by amateurs, were presented in various European
countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Often these plays
were performed in synagogue courtyards and involved not just the cast
members but some within the synagogue's congregation as well.
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