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

1931-1967
 

Malka Riten
 

Malka Riten was born in 1889 in Lublin, Poland to Chasidic parents.  She obtained, as she wrote in her autobiography, the education of a religious boy.

Until age fifteen, she davened and benched, made Kiddush, and each time she expressed herself, God was listening closely to whatever she felt, and thus she always spoke the truth.  She had a tremendous urge to preach morality and that people should live in peace. 

By chance Malka became acquainted with an "amateur" group, and since she was a “scholar” with regard to reading Yiddish, she was inspired that she might [soflern; audition?] a presentation. The [soflern] of are the members of the group came to the decision, so she was able to play the role of “Tabeleh” in the court play “Hertzeleh mioches” (Privileged Hertzeleh).

In 1906, she crossed over to the professional stage, into a troupe directed by Moshe German with direction by Weishof, committing that she would only perform dramas, not party.

In 1907, she performed with Julius Adler, then with Meerson, Zolskawski et al. Naturally, she had to follow her highest principle of not participating in parties.

 

In 1915 Chana performed in Siberia with Lipovski. In 1917 she was appointed to the Kiev Yiddish Artists Coop. in the first Yiddish cooperative drama in Yekaterinoslav. In 1920 she performed in the first Yiddish royal theatre in Odessa with Bertanov and Segalesco; also in Minsk, and later in Poland, Paris, and Belgium.



Sh. E.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 6, page 4963.
 

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