RE: Yiddish Musical Theatre/Info. needed

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

I think you can offer your services to Marek Web, the head of the YIVO 
Archives or Dr. Carl Rheins, the new YIVO director.  I think that would be 
great, especially if you know people who can give money.  I want to focus 
on raising money for the film archive which my husband, Josh Waletzky, set 
up at YIVO in the mid seventies.

Here is a letter from Aaron Lansky to Jacob and myself last week after I 
cc'ed Aaron my response to Jacob.  You can see yourself from the response 
that the NYBC is not the place for this collection.


Reyzl


-----------------------------------------------------
From:  Aaron Lansky [E-MAIL ADDRESS]
Sent:  Sunday, January 09, 2000 2:05 PM
To:  'Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky'; 'bloom (at) gis(dot)net'
Cc:  'Neil Zagorin'; 'Nancy Sherman'; 'Aaron'
Subject:  RE: Yiddish musical theater books

Dear Mr. Bloom:

Reyzl shared with me your correspondence re: the archive of the Hebrew 
Actors Union.  It sounds like a crucially important resource, and by all 
means should be cataloged and properly housed.

Unfortunately, the Yiddish Book Center does not collect archival materials. 
 That job would best be left to the YIVO in New York.  I'd suggest you 
contact YIVO's new director, Dr. Carl Rheins; he may be able to help.

Meanwhile, should you be able to identify a few "highlights" of the 
collection -- perhaps a script, old posters, tickets or other ephemera -- 
we would try to find a way to exhibit them here as part of our overall 
exhibition on Yiddish theater.  Specific arrangements may be made with our 
bibliographer, Neil Zagorin, at nzagorin (at) bikher(dot)org(dot)

Again, I wish you every success in finding the right home for the overall 
archive.  If I can help in any way please don't hesitate to let me know.

Best wishes,
Aaron Lansky

cc: Nancy Sherman, Editor, Pakn Treger


......................................
Aaron Lansky, President
Yiddish Book Center
Amherst, MA 01002 USA
Phone: 413-256-4900 x101
Fax: 413-256-4700

-----Original Message-----
From:   Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky [SMTP:reyzl (at) flash(dot)net]
Sent:   Friday, January 07, 2000 7:55 AM
To:     'Bloom'
Cc:     'Aaron Lansky'
Subject:        RE: Yiddish musical theater books

I will forward your message to Aaron Lansky, but you should know that
$100,000 is a bit steep for Mr. Rexite's services.  For the head of that
theater department, the notes, instructions, and directions written into
the original scripts has phenomenal value in studying how scenes in the
theater were actually played.  She didn't think that $100,000 was so much.
 There was a strong hint in her conversation that Brandeis was probably
going to get it, while I would predict NYU.  But what do I know about
these things.  From my point of view it should go to YIVO which has so many 
other critically important theater collections.

cc to Aaron Lansky


Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky






----------
From:  Trudi Goodman [SMTP:goobietheg (at) hotmail(dot)com]
Sent:  Monday, January 10, 2000 4:12 PM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant
Subject:  RE: Yiddish Musical Theatre/Info. needed


Dear Reyzl:
I agree with you about the collection going to YIVO by the way!
Do you think that I should contact them or National Yiddish Book Center to
see if they could use some type of fundraising, etc, assistance with this?
You know so many people..have you got a good idea of who I should speak 
with
?
  Trudi the G


>From: Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl (at) flash(dot)net>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: RE: Yiddish Musical Theatre/Info. needed
>Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 14:06:09 -0500
>
>The person I was talking to said, "Brandies will probably get it", so I
>assume that they are/have been in negotiation.
>
>Although I doubt the NYBC is interested, I cc'ed my private response to
>Jacob's post to Aaron Lansky so Aaron knows.
>
>There is no question for me that this collection belongs in YIVO.  They 
are
>very well aware of the collection and they will do/are doing/have done
>whatever they can/want to do.   My interests in the YIVO archives lies
>elsewhere, so I have no interest in getting involved in this particular
>matter.
>
>I think that the other interested organizations are very well aware of the
>collection.  It has been "on sale" for some time now.  I am not involved 
in
>any of it and I don't care to get involved either.
>
>Mr. Rexite who has become old and weak, since his wife's death. Deals can
>take a long time and who knows how long he will live.  What is important
>now for someone to do is to sit down with him and collect his stories and
>recollections about whatever he wants to talk about.  Then let those
>recordings go where ever they may go with the other papers.  If you are
>interested in helping with this, then I suggest that, if you are a 
scholar,
>you get in touch with him.   If you are not a scholar, then suggest to
>theater scholars to study with him.   I think that this would be the most
>helpful thing you can do.   I say this because he isn't letting go of his
>control so fast and I don't see anyone paying his price so fast either.
>  Who knows, maybe the interested parties are waiting for the next Union
>president to give it away for free and for someone else to sit down with
>the scholars.  Who knows.
>
>
>Reyzl
>
>
>
>----------
>From:  Trudi Goodman [SMTP:goobietheg (at) hotmail(dot)com]
>Sent:  Friday, January 07, 2000 7:12 PM
>To:  World music from a Jewish slant
>Subject:  RE: Yiddish Musical Theatre/Info. needed
>
>    Jacob/Reyzl:
>    I've got a couple of ideas....one is to query the Acting Department at
>Brandeis University. I seem to remember that they have some background 
with
>Yiddish Theatre. I know that they have had donations from the Muni Estate.
>    The other is that does the National Yiddish Book Center have a person
>to
>get in touch with? I, for one would be more than happy, as an actor to
>donate my time to help with this.  If more actors and people who love
>theatre know, I'm sure that they would too. After all, a great many of us
>performers are influenced by the Yiddish Greats!! I'm just wondering if
>there's a person, or a name that I go to at National Yiddish Book Center?
>    Please let me know.
>    Trudi Goodman
>     trudigoodman (at) yahoo(dot)com
>
>
> >From: bloom (at) gis(dot)net (Bloom)
> >Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> >To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> >Subject: RE: Yiddish musical theater books
> >Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 23:00:27 -0500 (EST)
> >
> >Reyzl,
> >
> >Regarding the Hebrew Actors Union archive:
> >
> >The National Yiddish Book Center might be willing to take on the job of
> >raising $100,000 to preserve the archive.  They seem to be very good at
> >raising whatever it takes to keep Yiddish culture from disappearing,
>under
> >desperate conditions.
> >
> >Of course, if some other organization is willing to take on the job,
>that's
> >fine with me, as long as the archive is saved, and then made available.
> >I'm willing to make a contribution to the cause.
> >
> >Jacob Bloom
> >
> >
> >Reyzl wrote:
> >
> >Judy,
> >
> > >There are very few works that provide _musical analysis_ as well as
> >history
> > >of who wrote what title or show. There is a lot of work to be done and
> >the
> > >history of Yiddish musical theater in America --a worthwhile project 
is
> > >awaiting someone.
> >
> >Secunda really did this in his serialized biography in the Yiddish
>Forwards
> >during the 1960's, but when his daughter in law, writer Victoria 
Secunda,
> >reworked the articles to construct an English version biography, she 
left
> >much of the knitty gritty details out.  But then, of course, Secunda
>wrote
> >only about his music and only about the plays he composed for.
> >
> >However, the Hebrew Actors Union archive, an extraordinary treasure 
trove
> >of primary source material, has all the actual original books, notes,
> >scores, pads, scripts, notations, music, scraps,.... from all the 
Yiddish
> >shows.  The president of the union, the great star and historian of the
> >Yiddish theater, Seymour Rexite, is willing to donate the collection to 
a
> >major library, but the catch is that he will do so only if are willing 
to
> >personally pay him $100,000 so that he will sit with a scholar and
>explain
> >the material and annotate it for you.  Anyone got a library which will
>pay
> >$100,000 for this extraordinary collection?  I was recently at a dinner
> >party with a theater department chairperson of a New York college who 
was
> >working on getting the treasure trove, but it was a no go.
> >
> >
> >
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>
>
>

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com



---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+