IZRAEL EDELMAN

IZRAEL EDELMAN (b. November 11, 1899)

            He was born in Odessa, Ukraine.  He graduated from eight-class commercial school and studied medicine at Odessa University.  He acted and directed amateur productions in Russian and in 1918 staged his dramatization of Shimen Frug’s “Dray neshomes” (Three souls).  From 1920 he performed professionally in the Russian state theater workshop in Homel (Gomel).  He wrote: the dramas, Mr. dolar (Mr. Dollar), Ervakhung (Awakening), and Tmimes (Naïveté); the comedies, Di gzeyre (The evil decree) and Perets-maskes; and the one-act plays, Borekh shpinoza (Baruch Spinoza) and Der 9 yanver (January 9^th); among others.  He translated a work by Oscar Wilde and “Der havn” (The port [original: “Le Port”] by Guy de Maupassant.  He also wrote a children’s scenario entitled “David” and worked as an actor and assistant director in the Russian-language films, Lesnoy zver (Forest beast) and Ukrazya (Ukraine), among others.  He published articles about movies and theater in the journal Siluet (Silhouette) and other periodical publications in Russia.

Source: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 2 (New York, 1934).

Yankev Kahan