Boris Auerbach

Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"
1931-1969

Boris Auerbach
(Ben-Tsion)

Born 15 May 1890 in Akkerman, Bessarabia. At an early age, his parents died and he was brought up by an uncle. He studied in cheder and for four classes at the state school. At fifteen he travelled to Warsaw, where he became an active “Bund” member, taught Yiddish to female workers and worked as an employee.

When Rappel and Krause opened a theatre in Warsaw and announced that they were looking for chorus singers, he joined the chorus of Sam Adler’s Troupe. At first Meerson gave him a small part in Gordin’s “The Lurie Brothers.” Then B. travelled with a Mishurat troupe and then returned to the Krause-Spivakovsky troupe, already as a slapstick comic and lover.

Boris went to America, arriving in San Francisco. Here Jacob Frank let him play in “David ben-yishai” Then he acted for two years in vaudeville with Philip Weisenfreund.

Next B. arrived in New York and joined Lobel's Royal Theatre where he got the opportunity to act with Moskowitz, Schwartz and Minnie Gurewitz. He then acted for two years in Chicago with Joseph Kessler, one year in Philadelphia with Anshel Schorr, one year at the People’s Theatre with Edelstein, then Bessie Thomashevsky, for four years

with Edelstein at the Second Avenue Theatre; single seasons at the National (Thomashefsky), then back to Second Avenue, and in Chicago with Glickman and Michalesko. In 1927-8 he co-directed in Brownsville with Chaim Shneour and Moshe Schorr-- at the Hopkinson’s Theatre--and in 1928-9 he played again on Second Avenue and then went to Poland for guest appearances. While he was acting in America, he made guest appearances in Argentina three times during summers.

M. E.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 42.