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YANKEV WAISLITZ – THE VETERAN OF THE YIDDISH STAGE (TO HIS 50 YEARS OF THEATRICAL ACTIVENESS) BY YITZKHAK KAHAN In his book about Victor Hugo, the well‐known French writer, Andre Marua, gives this definition about youth: “What do you call it when all senses are on the fire, and the heart is clean and sings in the breast with such power, impatient, desperate and yet – overfilled with hope: when the person feels stronger, like the world, but powerless to prove his power, when the life that began just a moment ago is already packed with external events and happenings?...This has a name, it is called: youth”. Yankev Waislitz was this kind of youth, when fifty years ago he set his first steps on the Yiddish stage. He belonged to an idealistic youth, restless, searching, that was spiritually young and dynamic. He was of a youth that was driven by internal striving, not to practical practicalities and careerism, but to a higher purpose of truth and a search for justice. This youth made a historical rendezvous with ideas of a violent epoch and picked itself up to the most wonderful heights of devotion for light humanitarian ideals that promised and enchanted so much. The years 1907‐1914 (after the failure of the Russian Revolution) marked the big rise of national‐secular Jewish culture, which searched for a new expression of Yiddishkayt and of Yiddish creativity, a new form in which the past, present and future search harmoniously to connect themselves. *) Written in 1963. The so called Peretz era began to bloom. It broadened the Yiddish horizons, opening new perspectives for Jewish life and creating through modern cultural creativity: like literature, art, science and theatre. The name I.L. Peretz was turned to in a magic word for the Yiddish folky intelligence, workmanship and a part of the studying youth, who looked up to him, like to a mentor and rabbi. Every day one could see in the Saxon Garden in Warsaw, boys and girls, who knew the time of Peretz’s walk on the so‐called ‘Literary Avenue’. Not brave, they used to follow him with love and honour, not having the courage to stop and try to develop a conversation. Amongst the last was a thin young man from the provinces – Yankev Waislitz. He was drawn to Peretz, whose performances he heard at readings and discussions. Peretz’s artistic flight, his flaming goodness, the folky warmth caught and enchanted the young man with the dreamy eyes. Peretz’s romantic‐realistic cultural philosophy, his winged vision of Yiddishkayt full of universally humanism, the mysterious flapping of his artistic personality, which was covered not just with the external cloke, but also with the internal, spiritual aristocratic flavour, for young Waislitz (like for many others) called out deep reverence and respect, wonder, like suddenly on the street there would appear the High Priest of the Holy Temple. 1912. In the Warsaw philharmonic hall, a big folk‐assembly occurs to deal with the tragic state of the Yiddish theatre. At the speaker’s platform – the spiritual elite of the Yiddish culture, I.L. Peretz spoke. No, he did not speak, he spilled boiling, angry words onto the fully packed hall against the low class popular theatre, the ‘Khinke Pinke’ plays, which like wild grass, grew on the Jewish street. He called to destroy, like idol worship, this literary trash and build up on its ruins the best Yiddish theatre with an artistic, literary repertoire: “Pay attention cadres, come revolt and build!” Peretz thundered. In the celebratory mood, whilst in the hall just Peretz’s winged words flapped, the young Waislitz made like an oath to tie his fate to the Yiddish stage. With all fevers of his soul he would perform theatre – and truly of a better repertoire. It became his dream and meaning of life, but then without opportunities after for it to come to pass... The better Yiddish theatre was then limited to the back roads and the attempt, that Peretz Hirshbeyn made (1908‐1910) was not successful. The only thing that did achieve its aims at that time was a dramatic circle at the Hazomir, under the leadership of I.L. Peretz and Dovid Herman. Waislitz turned to this very studio. The Hazomir circle was an ersatz theatre, a school to educate the coming potentials, professional actors and also a laboratory for scene experiments; of searching for a Yiddish form for the Yiddish stage. Not to create a theatre in Yiddish, but a Yiddish theatre, that should bring out the Jewish drama and the Jewish person; a theatre that should embody the Yiddish thought, dream and truth, the holy shabbes, like the weekdays. In the Hazomir studio, Dr Mukdoni taught theory of theatre: Peretz – Yiddish literature with interpretations of the Yiddish drama. Each of his lectures changed and enchanted, like a séance of hypnosis. Whilst speaking he used to more suggest like speech through a clue, a jest, a glance, there used to come out poetic opinions and awareness, the initiative that cannot be described in words. He wanted to make it really special, putting his own slant on the best of Hassidic thought. For the young Waislitz, this opened a new world. Peretz’s poetic intellectualism, brought out a winged form, met up with the burning enthusiastic eyes of the audience, which felt responsibility for the coming role that it was to play in the Yiddish life in general and on the stage. Not just for Peretz, but for Dovid Herman, the students connected like Hassidim to their rabbi. Herman, a deep romantic and artistic personality, came to the theatre from the Hassidic milieu. From this environment he took his Hassidic enthusiasm to the modern Yiddish literature and theatre; his unrest and longing, his Hassidic mystique, the enthusiasm and the flavour searched for a scenic saving renewal. His work in the dramatic Hazomir circle was learning for its own sake, a preparation for tomorrow’s Yiddish theatre, and of his students, there truly came out the later big artists of the Moscow chamber‐theatre, of the Vilna Troup and other Yiddish stages. In the studio Dovid Herman did not teach any ready recipes for performing theatre, but a way of life, for which one must continuously create and search with a lot of patience and belief. It did not feel the impatience of a youth who wants to quickly perform on the stage, but carries our and breaths in own blood and flesh until it becomes second nature, an organic part of own being. Big artists meet on a joint base. That which Alexander Granakh tells about sincerity is a reflection of the Dovid Herman’s direction. He had every smallest idea, feeling, tone and expression tapped and studied the smallest movement and jest considered, clarified and placed in. Everything was planned – and like the work of a fine watch – he thought over every screw, wheel and spring. When he put it together, it first became a complete thing from one cast. Herman searched amongst his students not just sparks of talent (of which he could ignite a flame), but also intellectual understanding. He broadened their knowledge of art and literature and also other aspects, so through years and years of learning, they could better and realise their natural talents. He taught and planted responsibility in performing, so just like the prayer leader feels when praying the presence of the Torah ark, so must the artist with a holy shaking relate oneself to his theatre work. And he who is completely incapable of this will never become an artist. Dovid Herman, with a seldom sense of purpose, brought out artistic sparks and theatre capabilities. He demanded a lot of the students. He taught them to love art in themselves, but not themselves in art. He used to prepare intimate evenings, recitations and musical plays, which used to change the week‐a‐day into Yontefs. From such evenings, the students used to go away excited and improved. It strengthened the enthusiasm to learning and working over oneself. The graduation was big: a graduation of Artism, of contest and achievement, of educating the dreamed‐of cadres of artists for the potential theatre. At the hall, the cream of the Jewish intelligence: Yiddish writers and artists with Peretz in the lead. Happy speeches are made from the presidium, and one of the students also speaks. The fate fell on Waislitz...his first speech for such an audience! The un‐boldness calls out a shudder in every limb, the first words a little stammering, the knees bend from inner frustration, but bit by bit the words come out more surely, clearer. He speaks about “what the school gave us”, a goal in life, a higher cause. He speaks with hot breath, the words flame. His eyes meet with Dovid Herman’s, who intuitively noticed in the young student a spiritual inheritor, a follower of his ideas, direction and creations. Already then, the un‐ripped thread of piousness and opposite understand of the student with the rabbi was pinched, that Waislitz carried over oceans and continents... The yontef‐like evenings in Warsaw Hazomir were unforgettable, when Nomberg, Asch and others, after that young writers, used to make a circle around Peretz and sang: “Our rabbi” with the true Hassidic burning and Peretz himself in a good mood would hum his favourite song “Ask the world an old question”... The older people were then young in spirit and the young people saw before themselves a new way, a spring, a re‐growth, renaissance, the dream of freedom, of a new raised Yiddish life. And the big storm broke out – the First World War. 1915. Jewish cities burnt by the retreating Russian army, masses of wandering and hard‐working homeless, streams on all sides, come to Warsaw and feel the loss of the synagogues. On the community yard, on Gzibow Street – heart wrenching pictures of uprooted Jewish towns. I.L. Peretz looks out of his work‐room at this Jewish loneliness, his heart is full of sadness of destruction and no longer holds... all of Poland is there for his big funeral. All, old and young, feel like mourners, feeling the biblical quote: ‘’There is a great king in Israel”... In the endless funeral procession, his students from the Hazomir circle walk, amongst them Yankev Waislitz. Since his graduation he had already tasted the flavour of performing on the stage. Saw for the first time the ramp light in a play about the Beylis trial. The theme was still pulsating and the performance went with much success for about a year. It was not a literary or artistic play, but the characterization of the lawyer Gruznberg gave the young artist an opportunity to perform a dramatic role, performed twice a day and dreamed about a better Yiddish theatre, and here suddenly a hard cloud over Yiddish life... The German occupation brought need and hunger. They begin to smuggle (in order to save a life), but this leads to, in many cases, demoralization, to moral lowness for a series of families. At the same time, the Jewish cities and towns began to revive in the cultural realm. They search to silence a spiritual hunger. They found libraries, choirs, dramatic circles, lectures are organized. They search to live spiritually and often silences the physical hunger... It receives a smell of life on the new big province a new form of Jewish society‐ness, a cultural, a secular‐
nationalist. Yeshiva boys and workers, middle class sons and daughters become drawn into the new stream. The treasures of the Yiddish literature, its problems and spiritual struggles, become the property of the renewed Jewish life. The province looks up to the metropolis – Warsaw – with deep longing. Waislitz always saw before himself the demanding eyes of the ‘rabbi’ – like a spiritual testament to his students, they should go to the people, make them honest and place their talents in the service of Jewish life. He brought this testament to pass in the first opportunity to travel out to the province and help to make the Jewish cultural life honest. “Ikh hob zikh gelozt, ‐ hot er shpeter geshribn – iber shtet un shtetlakh oyfn aktyorishn vander‐veg mitn teater kholem un hofenung”... He travels to the province, founds amateur circles to perform Yiddish theatre. He becomes a travelling director and leads better literary plays in Kutno, Wloclawek, Mlawa, and in other cities and towns. In order to awake the energy and interest for the Yiddish dramatic art, he manages not only the acting and directing work, but is also busy with theatre, gives lectures about writers and their works, he recites poems and songs, and raises around himself enthusiasm for the theatre and Yiddish culture in general. Seeing a handsome, elegant young man, bohemian in his clothing and demeanour, he draws in also from a nice sex, with whom he uncovers a spark of dramatic talent – as lovers of theatre. Our youth then searched for beauty, highness. And the dramatic amateur circles, which went all over the province, carried bricks to the building of Yiddish theatre and dramatic art. The foundation, which was laid in Peretz’s time in Warsaw Hazomir began, in the years of the German occupation, to receive four walls and then also the roof of the building is laid – the founding of the Vilna Troup. Its rise in 1916 called deep happiness for all the wandering actors that dreamed of a stable Yiddish theatre of an artistic standard. It also became Waislitz’s dream, whilst he was travelling over the cities and towns with recitations and theatrical dramatisations. In 1919 his dream was realised. The Vilna Troup came to Warsaw, Waislitz performs in the Troup and his artistic career and artistic rise begins. The Vilna Troup, with a magnetic craft, drew in talented powers of the Russian and Polish dramatic schools. From a Polish‐dramatic school, came the picture perfect ,Miriam Orleska. She already stood on the threshold of state‐supported Polish theatre, where fame and material surety awaited her and she changed to the hard fate of Yiddish theatre. It was cultural‐spring on the Yiddish street with so many marvellous hopes of renaissance for all realms of spiritual creation. The young, talented performers noticed their internal, Yiddish soul‐pulse. The ramp lights of the Yiddish stage poured together with the light of their internal fire, with their idealism and enthusiasm for creating Yiddish word and dramatic art. Yankev Waislitz belonged to this category. His rehearsal role in the Vilna Troup was the dramatic role of Prokopov in Kobrin’s ‘Village‐Youth’. He played the part so well that the reviews write that the creation was “A classic figure of an old Russian peasant”. The good press, the applause of the public naturally gave wings to the young actor. And then came roles in other plays: In Osip Dimov’s ‘Shma Yisroyel’, in Andreyev’s ‘He Who Receives the Smacks’ and Zuderman’s ‘Yohan’s Fires’. But his first big success was in the role of De‐Silvia in Guchkov’s ‘Uriel Akosta’. In the creation his direction had the maximum artisticness. He learned to love the role in himself and enter under the skin of this figure. The direction in the Vilna Troup made the actor happy, always researching and searching and turned pages. Photo: Yankev Waislitz in the role ‘Shylock’. A story is told of a famous painter, that one time criticizing a work of his student in an art school, he caught a pencil in a movement and ended the canvas and momentarily the picture received life. “Art, he said to the student, becomes perfected through the easiest touch”. This was the way of direction at the Vilna Troup: to bring out the most delicate tones of the dramatic art. Every sound of tone, expression, mimicry, feelings and jests needed to be complete. And in listening to rehearsals, one could see how each impression and movement is mirrored on the director’s expressive face. He used to, with a seldom power, illustrate the expression of a scream, that can clearly make a thought, make a feeling lively ; that a small hand movement can receive from a simple say; the meaning of a small pause, the playing out of a silent scene, and also showing how he screws up or quietens certain parts... Like a chemical paper, he used to taken on the colour of change in the atmosphere with the activities on the stage and just like the fiddler pulls on the strings for the performance, in order to bring out the true tone, Dovid Herman demanded this of an actor that he should before going onto the stage, free himself of thousands of lies, he should never be in the theatre with mud on his feet, but leaving the grey dust and the mud outside. At such a direction discipline, it is understandable why it was hard to finish to become with a performance and when it already with luck saw the stage lights, it needed to be on the highest artistic level, uncompromising, with loyalty to the better theatre. The performances of the Vilna Troup truly brought spiritual heights, deep experiences – for the audience and the actor. Every premier was a happening, a yontef in the weekday life. And of course these were the big performances (of better repertoires), which of course began with Sh. Anski’s Dybbuk. Dovid Herman gave the whole tragedy between two worlds – the purity of the Hassidic mystical world, the world of legend, and the mystery of internal human struggle – meaning. He thought of the performance like a holy work, in which he enflamed the sparks of his Hassidic soul. The effort and piousness that he gave into dramatising, can only be appreciated by participating actors. He truly showed wonder in directing scenes without words, without language, just meeting glances between Leah and Khone, or Miriam Orleska’s touch with her lips when opening the ark created a monetary picture. Herman placed much attention on the smallest detail. With his sharp eye and empathising ear, he caught the most delicate dissonance. When choosing roles, he intuitively felt out those suitable actors who will be able to grow into and live in a character role. He gave Yankev Waislitz the meaningful creation of Miropol Tsadik, believing that he would be able to embody this spiritual greatness and bravery of Miropol Tsadik, who risks himself in the tragic struggle between man person and higher powers. It is a role of promethium figure in a Hassidic form. It is a role through which the legend and folklore are transformed in a drama of deep symbolism and scenic wealth. Not the external mask, but the internal characterization brought out the big individual personality, the image of the holy figure. On the stage to speak means to draw visual images; to hear means to see about what was spoken about. It is the call‐out of emotion, experience and picture. The deeply melodic air of the Hassidic‐mysterious actions in the” Dybbuk”, the vibration of the Yiddish soul‐
pulse, the subtle nuisances of feeling and dramatic handling come to expression in the characterization. In the role of Miropol Tsadik, Waislitz brought out the lively spirit of dramatic Yiddish folklore, and from the creation continued his theatrical and artistic development. In the Vilna Troup, under the direction of Dovid Herman, Avrom Morevsky and Dr Wajchert, Waislitz receives such crowning roles like the wedding ‘Wedding Jester’ in Peretz’s ‘At Night at the Old Market’, the holy tailer, in Ash’s ‘Sanctity of God’s Name’, the Maharal, in Leyvik’s ‘Golem’, the Rabbi Reb Dan, in Anski’s ‘Day and Night’, Eliokum, in ‘Jew Town’ by Aaron Zeitlin – just to name several of his crowning roles. As we know the magic craft of the theatre lies in the hands of the dramatist, director and actor. The play that was first carried in the fantasy of the poet, must later receive a realisation in the lively actor. The play itself is a vessel that must not be completely full. A place needs to be left for the input of director and actor, who bring into the role talent, knowledge and creation. In ‘Wedding Jester’, Waislitz brought out the fiery, inheriting and tragic‐belief word of Peretz in the Cohanic work of encouraging fallen and meek. Like an actor, he allowed the audience to help create in the hall to feel that also in doubt there can be a stimulus to new struggles, to strength for new efforts and achievements. The characterization met the image and communication to the viewers the internal lively spirit of the great poet, his sadness and struggle to revitalise the life. In ‘Holy Tailor’, Waislitz strongly rose in the character‐role. The creation of Jewish lamed‐vov in every Jewish generation, which sings out the epos of Jewish sanctification of God’s name for a higher idea, came to the expression in every movement and tone. With internal delicacy, Waislitz embodied the wonderful decency, delicacy and affection of the holy tailor – an artistic creation that called out the loudest applause of the audience and also enthusiasm from the reviewers. Theatre critics described Waislitz as the true soul of the Vilna Troup, the intelligent Yiddish actor, who has in him the strength to give life true meaning in the word. A true drama is literature in three dimensions. A literature that flows on, can usually not carry on itself too heavy a weight. But, a Yiddish‐literary drama by Leyvik is loaded with deep ideas that are embodied succinctly in ‘Golem’. Waislitz, in his creation of Maharal, emobidied the great pains of childbirth of the artist, his self‐torture in process of purification, in the struggle between spirit and body. Through nice verses and discrete handling of words, played out in lyrical hearty tones, he brought to expression Leyvik’s poetic word, in which colour and playing out have the power to create an intellectual and emotional effect on the viewer. Waislitz had a crowning role in the dramatic characterization of the Krinitser Rabbi Reb Dan (in Anski’s ‘Day and Night’). The conflict is between instinct and spirit; lust and heavenly simplicity. The tall Slav who is burned in opposing fires through the struggle with the evil inclination, is shaped in every movement of his body in the intonations of word and in silence, that takes in the unexpressed words... Waislitz’s empathy in the degrees of underlining of affecting through image, emotion and memory, gave qualitative weight to the creation. The actor’s lively characterization showed fire and temperament with the appropriate shades. Under the direction of Waislitz, the Vilna Troup performed Osip Dimov’s ‘The Singer of his Sadness’, a play that allows many performance opportunities for a folky spectacle. The director successfully used dramatic effects of the scenic construction, creating a complete put together of delicately drawn figures which underline the truth of fantasy, in which it wants to believe and live... When Bergelson’s ‘Bread Mill’ was performed, Waislitz received the hard role of ‘Mute’. He also play the lead role in Eugene O’Neill’s ‘The Black Ghetto’, and the Rabbi Reb Dovidl in ‘Hershele Ostropolye’, (where the struggles between inner truth and external lies are expressed). He played Shimele Soroker in ‘200,000’, with great success and brought out in subtle tones the happiness of fantasy and the sadness of poverty... The actor was divided in halves in performing: he lives on the stage, laughs and cries and when laughing and crying he observes his personal tears and joy. In the balance between life and play – the art creates the double existence of the artist. The actor’s talent to create life in a role is formed bit by bit and strongly depends on intonation, experience, knowledge and taste – and truly talent! He takes his dream of a character role and through word, movement and emotional strength, realised through his sub‐conscious and controlled through his intelligence, he creates an eternal monument of experiences and suffering, of love and hate, of fear and wrath...feelings, thoughts, fantasy and dream gives in life in words fullness and lively sounds. The temptation is even harder as phrases are repeated so many times in rehearsals, or in many performances, to become mechanical, the lively soul can through this become used up – an empty sound of the word. The actor must at every performance renew oneself and submerge oneself deep in the creations, so that it should light the internal flame, the feelings and experiences on which the artistic vitality is so dependent. In the Vilna Troup, they strongly believed in the noted elements. A play was studied in its entirety and so the arrangements and suits if different parts in a harmonic whole. The actor, through and through, analysed, felt lively in his whole role. His movements, gestures, words, thoughts, feelings and actions, in a precise way, must be in the appropriate perspective. The simplest entrance and exist from the stage, saying a phrase, an action to be carried out – this all had to be in a harmonious way be precisely carried out. Photo: Yankev Waislitz as Shimele Soroker in Sholem Aleichem’s ‘200,000’. This was the method of the Vilna Troup, of which Waislitz never spiritually parted with (even after the ensemble is dissolved, which happened in 1935). After dissolving (due to the Great Depression) the Vilna Troup, the Yiddish theatre art wanders around the world. Yankev Waislitz then makes a tour around the Jewish settlements in Europe, performing in Brussells, Antwerp, London, Copenhagen, Vienna. He also visits Holland and Yugoslavia and brings in a spiritual renewal in the scattered Jewish corners. After a successful European tour, Yankev Waislitz travels over oceans and continents, like a messenger of Yiddish theatre and artistic Yiddish word. He gives theatre performances and spoken word concerts in South Africa, South America (after the war also in North America, Canada and Israel). His performances convert into yontefs for the folky Jews and this comes to the expression in the enthusiastic articles in the local Jewish press. Also the non‐Jewish press gives up space with warm responses to scenic performances and about Waislitz’s performing in general. In the beginning of 1938, Waislitz comes to Australia. We personally came out to experience the spiritual manner, how the Yiddish Melbourne took in and greeter Yankev Waislitz. In the scattered corner of the big Jewish world, Waislitz’s arrival meant a cultural happening of a high level. Already the greeting itself was changed in an imposing manifestation for the Yiddish culture and Yiddish theatre. Then, his first word‐concert, in which Waislitz, with his lyrical recital‐art and dramatic performance inspirited and took the audience along with him. The press wrote then: “For the Yiddish audience, his performance was actually a revelation. The first time, the big Yiddish artist stood before us, who to the fullest measure represented with himself the modern Yiddish dramatic art”. The same review (P. Goldhar, may he rest in peace) described Waislitz’s performance of ‘The Yellow Star’ as “a turning point in the development of the local Yiddish theatre”. In order to remember here that before Waislitz’s arrival in Melbourne, a theatre activeness was lead here of unforgettable actor Yankl Ginter (may he rest in peace), who ploughed the stubborn Australian earth and building a loving circle, that gave much effort to performing Yiddish theatre. There were also performances of Sore and Nosn Ginter. Avrom Breyzblat was also already here. The immigration brought to the shores several talented amateurs – a thankful material for a good director. Yankev Waislitz continued to research, search in every corner, where there was a spark of talent and together with the theatre circle created an ensemble for artistic performances that should be loyal to the method of the Vilna Troup. After the successful word‐concerts, Waislitz gave a wonderful I.L. Peretz performance for the yortsayt of the great poet, he performed Sholem Aleichem’s ‘200,000’, an unforgettable yontef for the Jewish audience. After that the ‘Dybbuk’, that looked actually unbelievable that it could be performed in Australia. In the local conditions, Waislitz showed wonder. A big city Princess Theatre was filled with a Jewish audience to see the Dybbuk. In a smaller format, the same ‘miracle’ repeated in Sydney, where Waislitz stubbornly and patiently actually needed to break through a wall... in the course of his first ten months in Australia, Waislitz had 37 performances in Melbourne and in Sydney – a colossal achievement in a community that was so small ‐ almost half the present total. After the performances, Waislitz travelled over the Yiddish world a few times. He pitched his theatrical tents in Canada, South Africa and Israel and came back to Australia, where he had already founded living the artistic Rochl Holzer and together with her led a series of plays of Yiddish and European repertoire. Later, his daughter Mila Waislitz came from the camps and his son‐in‐law Moyshe Potaszynski and together with them Waislitz performed in a few productions. If statistics can give a bit of an idea of theatrical achievements, it would be enough to say that until 1953 79 performances, 47 word concerts, 25 literary evenings and 39 public readings were carried out. (And Waislitz’s performance meant content and elegance of form that was on the border of a public reading). In reciting like in a performance, he brought to expression the pearl of the European and Jewish literature (beginning from grandfather Mendele, until his great grandchild Chaim Grade). In the last ten years, Waislitz carried out many new plays (a series together with Rochl Holzer. I’ll write about her at another opportunity). I will only mention several of these new performances: “The Poet Became Blind”, “Our Ground”, “Hershele Ostropolye”, “Sanctification of God’s Name”, “The Countries of Palace”, “The House of Hillel”, “The Wooden Bowl”, “Death of a Salesman”, “Back Lane Centre” and others. Photo: Participants in the performance “The Wooden Bowl”, directed by Yankev Waislitz in 1958. (From left to right: Yasha Sher, Shia Tigel, Chayele Sztorch, Yankev Waislitz, Rachel Levita, Yisroyel Rotman, Yankev Levin, Shimon King. Photo: Yankev Waislitz as Yoyl Shvartz in “The Wooden Bowl”. In the performances, Waislitz tries with all his strength to protect his famous past and the traditions of the Vilna Troup. He appropriately estimated the cultural meaning of theatre, as an influential and popular factor that can open the well of artistic aesthetic satisfaction and ethical values for the broad audience. Waislitz was an idealist‐social person (from his young years a Bundist), through his active work, loyally served modern Yiddish culture. (In the last years he also did this as principle and teacher of the local Sholem Aleichem School, which is a separate topic). Fate wanted for him to pitch in the last few dozens of years his theatre tent in Australia, where he, as a director, actor, recitalists and word artist, with all his strengths served the Yiddish culture and theatre. When the history of the local Jewish community will be written, of his cultural life in the last few dozen years, the Yiddish theatre will take a respected position, as an influential, popular cultural factor that opened for the widest Jewish audience the well of aesthetic satisfaction. In this history of Yiddish theatre in Australia, Yankev Waislitz will take a central place. His efforts and successes for Yiddish theatre and Yiddish culture in Australia and elsewhere – his theatre tents and his stage in a run of half a century almost the whole Jewish world ‐ a huge debt is demanded from us to eternalise in a nice, worthy way his name through building in Melbourne an honourable Yiddish theatre building and naming it after Yankev Waislitz. Photo: Yankev Waislitz passed away in Melbourne on the 24th of August 1966.