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Jonas Turkow writes in his
book "Farloshene shtern (Extinguished Stars)":
"Grodno belonged to the
Jewish cities where there was founded a Yiddish theatre
society, and the society had simple Jews, folks-people,
who wanted to maintain the beautiful theatre tradition
for their city. At the head of the first Yiddish theatre
society stood ordinary Jews: Slip -- a shoemaker by
profession, Vishnievski, -- a tailor, Palinitski -- an
employee in a tradesman's cooperative and marmer
(marble) -- the owner of a small shop. The secretary of
the theatre society was Rafael Kvint. These people among
others had placed for the purpose of buying a house for
their own theatre, and to that purpose, they even were,
in the year 1924, performing a "Bliml tog (Flowery
Day?)".
In the later years the
society consisted of people of the so-called "better
societies", and the more well-to-do Jews, It should be
mentioned here that among the popular Grodno Jews, there
was: Bronervayn, who was a big merchant and the
gabbai of the large synagogue, Dr. Brizman, A.
Yezerski, who excelled so in the Grodno ghetto with his
heroism and self-sacrifice. During the liquidation of
the Grodno Jews, he strengthened and maintained the
morale of those Jews who were condemned to death.
The Grodno Yiddish Theatre
Society bravely opposed the terrible polanization and
fought against their representatives in the city
council, that they should acquire the municipal theatre
for Yiddish productions, some times in a month,
completely without. The Theatre Society carried out that
Yiddish troupes should be freed from paying taxes, and
alone brought down Yiddish troupes to Grodno, and
subsidized the Yiddish productions. The Grodno Theatre
Society led a struggle against shund ("trashy"
theatre), and in the field had recorded a significant
achievement".
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Jonas Turkow -- "Farloshene
shtern", Buenos Aires, 1953, Vol. II, pp. 130-131.
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