meymon/ruth

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

Ruth Meymon
(Fishman)

She was born on 13 July 1924 in Czernowitz, Bukovina, in Romania to parents who were religious nationalists.

From the age of five she showed particular musical talent and started studying clarinet and dancing classical ballet. M. entered the local conservatory where she studied as a singer, but the Second World War destroyed her plans for study.

Together with her parents she was dragged off to a Nazi concentration camp in Transnistria. Only by dint of a miracle did she survive that difficult time.

Immediately after the war, together with her parents, she left Rumania for Israel. On the way they were arrested by the British and brought to an internment camp in Cyprus.

In the internment camp she sang for the thousands of incarcerated Jews, bringing happiness to their tearful, tragic situation. In the internment camp she met Aryeh Zizemsky with whom she married in the camp. Immediately after release from Cyprus, she and her husband settled in the Kibbutz Deganya, where she and her husband worked in local agriculture.

While she was on the kibbutz she was engaged as a prima donna in the operatic theatre, where she performed with the “Do-Re-Mi”, “Habima” theatres and in the Yiddish theatre.

Since 1962 M. is the partner of lead player Zalman Koleshnikov, and she performs with him in local theatrical programs for Jewish communities in Europe (Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Liege, Charles-Roi, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Hamburg, et al.), as well as the Scandinavian lands (Sweden, Denmark, and Norway).

In 1968 she was invited with Kolesnikov to Argentina, where she performed in “Tevya the Dairyman (Chava), “Father’s Wedding” (Lili), “The Youngest Married Off” (Sheindele), “Paper Children”, (Esther), and “Hard to be a Widower".

After that she performed in “The Klezmer’s Children”.

After that she went on a tour across the Argentinean provinces that was organized by the cultural group of the Kehilla in Buenos Aires.

In 1969-1970 she went on stage with K. performing in local theatre in Israel and across Europe.

Sh. E. from Zalman Koleshnikov.

Moshe Reytses -- Gelekhter un trern in dem groysn sholem aleichem spektakl in "mitre", "Di prese", Buenos Aires, 30 April 1968.
Moshe Reytses -- "Shver tsu zeyn an almn" -- a philfarbiker spektakl mit folkstimlekh humor, "Di prese", Buenos Aires, 14 May 1968.
[--] -- "Di muzinke oysgegeben", a freylekhe operete fun di alte gute tseytn in teater "Mitre", "Di idishe tseytung", Buenos Aires, 4 June 1968.
Yakov Gzhivatsh -- Groyser derfolg fun di moderne bine-kinstler zalman koleshnikov un rut mimon in skandinovye, "Undzer vort", Paris, 25 November 1970.
A. A. Liberman -- S'vet nokh zeyn gut, "Unzer vort", Paris, 12 December 1970.
Avraham Silkes -- "S'vet nokh gut zeyn", "Unzer shtime", Paris, 17 December 1970.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 7, page 6243.