SAM LEVENVIRT

SAM LEVENVIRT (May 5, 1880-June 5, 1954)

            He was born in London, England.  He sang in a temple, later becoming an actor on the stage of the Yiddish theater.  In 1888 he moved with his family to the United States.  In 1907 he departed back to London where he played in English vaudeville.  He was the author of theatrical songs which were sung in various theater works.  He was especially popular for his jokes, a portion of which were published in 1914 (in Brooklyn) under the title: Sem levenvirts originele vitsn fun yidishn teater (Sam Levenvirt’s original jokes from the Yiddish theater) (42 pp.).  He died in the United States.

Sources: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 2 (New York, 1934); B. Yong, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (July 3, 1954).

Yankev Kahan