Teatr w języku jidysz w publicystyce i anonsach „Gazety Żydowskiej” (1940–1942).
Yiddish Theatre in Journalistic Texts and Advertisements Published in “Gazeta Żydowska” (1940–1942)

Summary/Abstract: The main goal of the article was to determine how topics related to Yiddish theatre were presented in “Gazeta Żydowska” [Jewish Newspaper] (“GŻ”) – a Polish-language broadsheet established on the initiative of the German authorities and edited by Jewish journalists. The newspaper was published in the General Government (GG) from July 1940 to August 1942 and was primarily addressed to Jewish readers. The study revealed that of over 280 theatricals published in the periodical, more than half (54%) pertained to Yiddish plays, the theatres that staged them, and the actors and directors involved. The newspaper featured anecdotes about prewar European and American Yiddish theatres, profiles of eminent playwrights writing in Yiddish, information on events organized in the Warsaw ghetto to commemorate said authors, as well as reviews of performances and stage readings of Yiddish plays held in other locations throughout the GG. However, GŻ journalists were particularly interested in the activity of theatres operating in the Warsaw ghetto and staging plays in Yiddish: Eldorado, Nowy Azazel, and Melody Palace. Announcements and reviews of new plays, analyses of repertoire policies, and reports from benefit performances and jubilees comprised nearly four fifths (78%) of all material covered by the study. The conducted analysis revealed that the activity of Yiddish theatres was reported on by “GŻ” in almost complete isolation from the context of the occupation, the drastically deteriorating living conditions in the ghetto and the ongoing extermination of its residents. The periodical often assumed the perspective of not so much an observer and commentator, but rather an active promoter of Yiddish theatres. Strongly evocative language tended to be used both in information on the current performances and announcements of upcoming premieres. Also the reviews of most plays staged in Yiddish tended to be decidedly enthusiastic and far more favorable than those reporting on the Polish-language repertoire of ghetto theatres. Notably, said reviews were often quite far removed from opinions voiced by members of Jewish intelligentsia unaffiliated with “GŻ”. It was not until late 1941 that commentaries on the repertoire policies started to be featured in the periodical, in a format evoking the prewar debates on the quality of Jewish theatres. Praise for works of well-established playwrights started to be accompanied by criticism of mass-audience pieces focused solely on entertainment, which had previously been universally praised by the newspaper’s columnists. This perplexing duality of GŻ’s theatrical narration stemmed from the complexity of tasks that the editorial team wished the Yiddish theatres operating in the Warsaw ghetto to accomplish. On the one hand, they were to entertain ghetto residents and help them to forget the surrounding reality, while also providing Jewish artists with a reliable revenue stream. On the other, the theatres were perceived as institutions charged with ensuring the continuity of Jewish culture and exposing audiences to more ambitious repertoires, acting as channels for important ideological, religious, and national content.

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