Photographers
Paley Studio
141 Division Street
New York, New York

Sitter
Jacob Gordin, May 1, 1853 - June 11, 1909

Date
circa 1900

Type
Portrait

Medium
Cabinet Photograph

Credit Line
Museum of the City of New York

Accession Number
X2012.7.322

Testimony
"At that time, when the leaders of the Yiddish theatre looked down on the writer, James Gordin arrived in New York. This was in 1890. When they told Jacob Gordin about the condition of the Yiddish theatre, about the relation of the actor to the writer, that they think a writer is a "yold," this did not frighten Gordin. "They can be taught," he said, "They need to teach the actors, and they need to teach the people to understand theatre."

Jacob Gordin came to America with a rich literary baggage. There was in the old country, in Yelisavetgrad, the founder of a biblical organization that recognized only the bible, and not the Talmud. In the old country he was a private teacher and also used to write feuilletons in the Odessa newspaper, "Odesskii Listok." He also wrote for the Odessa weekly page, "Nerelia." He used to sign [his name as] Ivan Koliutsky (Ivan the Prickly?). He was said to be a radical and used to openly come out with lectures. The Russian government kept an eye on him, and because of this he left Russia.

When he came to America, no one expected that he would choose the Yiddish stage for his career. He spoke a hard Yiddish, although as a katzap [nickname of a Russian], he wanted to speak Yiddish. Here they gave him a position as an editor of a Russian weekly newspaper, which did not last long. He then wrote in the weekly "Arbayter Tsaytung," which paid very little to its writers.

Philip Krantz then gave him a plan with which he could write a play for the Yiddish stage, and he wrote his first play, with the name, "Siber (Siberia)." The play was staged by Jacob P. Adler.

With the play, "Siberia," he began a new chapter in the history of the Yiddish stage. From the deytshmerish epoch with swords, kings, princes and overdone costumes, which was then borne in the plays of Professor Horowitz and Joseph Lateiner, and the play, "Siberia," there was a revival for the Jewish-Russian intelligentsia in America."

Source of Testimony
Joseph Rumshinsky -- "Joseph Rumshinsky Tells About Fifty Years of Yiddish Theatre," Forward, March 30, April 6, 1918.