goldstein/jennie

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

Jennie Goldstein

Born in 1896 in New York, America. Father -- a butcher. As a child, G. drew attention due to her beautiful voice, and through the actress Rosa Margules, she received at the age of six, children's roles in the Windsor Theatre. Her first role was the child in "Khanele di neytorin" (with Bertha Kalich). Soon with her first performance she made a very good impression both with the public, as well as with the actors, so that she became engaged as a permanent children role player for nine dollars a week rent. Then she went over to Keni Lipzin in the Thalia Theatre, where she acted about seven years in children's roles, performing in other plays besides, also in Gordin's "Thrs hamishpakhah" (where Mogulesko had written for her the song "Oyf yener zayt"), and "Der umbakanter", which Gordin had written a children's role for her.

G. learned in a cheder, then completed public school and learned English and German with a private teacher, and music with Herman Kesov.

At the age of thirteen, G. became engaged to Max R. Weiner for adolescent roles, and her first performance was in Lateiner's "Dos yidishe harts". She now even caught the attention of the critics, but due to other factors she had to leave the theatre, and in 1909 she entered into Sam Agid's vaudeville on Clinton Street. Here she met Max Gabel, and to years later they acted together in their own theatre on Third Street, where G. performed in Gabel's "Kol shofar", specially written for her.

Now Agid built for her the Comedy Theatre, where she acted but for a short time and went away with Gabel to Winnipeg. Later they came back, and G. acted in the Grand Music Hall, then for a short time in the Lipzin Theatre, from there across various theatres, then again in the Lipzin Theatre, then in the Mount Morris Theatre, and in the latter years in the Peoples Theatre, where she together with her husband, Max Gabel, the director of the troupe.

G. had in the span of her stage career almost exclusively acted in Gabel's plays, which were especially written for her, and in Jacob Gordin's "Chasia the Orphan", which she played since the death of Keni Lipzin.

G. also in 1924 guest-starred in London, in the summertime across the American province.

G. wrote lyrics for a part of the plays that she acted in, and she also sang them for the gramophone and radio.

On 7 December 1927 in New York G.'s twenty-fifth anniversary of her stage activities was celebrated, and she was honored by the publication of a souvenir [book?] with articles and greetings from Nate? Y. Ferber, Max R. Wilner, Lucy Robbins-Lang, A Bukstein, Ts. H. Rubinstein, Israel the Yankee, Jacob Kirschenbaum, Z. Kornblit, Dr. A. Mukdoni, Max Gabel, R. Guskin and Ab. Cahan.

Y. Entin -- Jennie goldstein als "yetoyme", "Di varhayt", N. Y., 25 December 1918.
Hillel Rogoff -- Jennie goldstein in gordin's "yetoyme", "Forward", 7 December 1918.
Dr. Kritikus -- "Di yetoyme" in gebils teater, "Der tog", 14 December 1918.
Jennie Goldstein -- Mayn beste rol -- "Mekhele", "Morning Journal", 3 November 1922.
B. Y. Goldstein -- Jennie goldstein, "Teater un kunst", New York, 2, p. 53.
Sholem Perlmutter -- Jennie goldstein finf un tsvantsig yohr oyf der idisher bihne, "Di idishe velt", Philadelphia, 7 December 1927.
Sidney Gordon -- Men feyert itst dem 25-yehrigen yubileum fun jennie goldstein als aktrise -- "Forward", 2 December 1927.
Z. Kornbluth -- "Di dramatishe kunst", N. Y., 1928, pp. 182-187.
L. Kamishnikov -- Jennie goldstein un ihr publikum, "Theatre Times", New York, 4, 1926.
Esther Moverman -- Jennie Goldstein -- Bernardt of the Yiddish Stage, "The Philadelphia Jewish Times", 11 May 1928.
Ts. H. Rubinstein -- Jennie goldstein, "Der tog", 2 December 1927.
Jacob Kirschenbaum -- Jennie goldstein 25-yehriger yubileum, "Der amerikaner", 9 December 1927.
Khiene Jaffe -- Jennie goldstein, "Yidishes tageblat", New York, 2 December 1927.
Jean Jaffe -- Twenty-five years a Yiddish actress -- "The Tageblat's English Department", 8 December 1927.
A. Frumkin -- Di kinder rolisten oyf der idisher bihne, "Morning Journal", 30 November, 7 December 1928.
Jennie Goldstein -- Ikh un dos publikum, "Morning Journal", 20 January 1928.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 378.