Mindl Tsukerman

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

Mindl Tsukerman
(Shnap)

According to Yitskhok Libresko, she was born in Bucharest, Romania. Her father was called Aaron Shnap, and he was born in Rimelev, Galicia, and could learn. According to Itsikl Goldenburg, he was a great scholar and merchant.

Ts. was undoubtedly the first actress on the Yiddish stage. Indeed, the existence of some of the former Jewish actresses is not certain.

The history writer of Yiddish theatre, B. Gorin, writes:

"In the time when Yosef Latayner had created his play, 'Shmuel shmelkes" (which was on the theme that Goldfaden had composed 'The Two Kuni Lemels'), Goldfaden appeared to get a woman for the stage in Bucharest. As was already said, it is the firs time some played in women's roles, because young Jewish women and wives feared for their reputation.

The theatre didn't have a good name. The attendees were the greatest element. Most of the actors had performed as lawless youths, and for a young girl, or a little wife going up onto the former Yiddish stage, it was not better than going into a bar among bad company. Only the drive (to the stage) was so great, that he even received the innate modesty of the Jewish woman. But it was difficult, that the first woman should appear on the stage and soon afterwards, women were shot from all sides." (?)

According to B. Gorin, Mogulesco portrays her in his memoirs, that the first Yiddish actress was Rose Friedman. Goldfaden in his memoirs talks about a Galitzianer. The general impression from people who lived in that time is that the first Yiddish actress was Sarah, later known as Sophia Karp.

Leiser Tsukerman maintains that (his future wife) Mindl and Golditse were the first actresses, and already with the offering of "Shmenderik," that they appeared on the stage.

According to B. Gorin, Ts. gave Goldfaden the melody for the song, "Pastukhl" in "Shulamis." She took it from a Turkish song. When the Yiddish actors left they wandered to Germany. In the troupe there was also Ts. and her husband, and from Germany they went to Warsaw. From there they returned to Romania. In 1901 she was brought to America with her husband through Joseph Edelstein.

Ts. was the first "Mirele" in Goldfaden's "Kishufmakherin (The Witch/Sorceress)," and when she was an orphan, without a mother, she had an extraordinary success in the song, "Yung iz mayn mame tsumgekumen," which she sang very naturally and with feeling.

In her memoirs Berta Kalich writes that Ts. was a singer, and when she lost her voice she had to play only small roles in Romania.

M.E. from Yitskhok Libresco and Itsikl Goldenburg.

B. Gorin -- "History of Yiddish Theatre," Vol. I, pp. 176, 194, 224, 238, 240.
Berta Kalich -- "Memoirs," "Tog," N.Y., 4 June 1925.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 7, page 6182.