Yiddish Theater: A Love Story

This story is about a unique Yiddish theater in NY, it's about disappearance of traditions, it's about change of generations and fragile balance of relationships between old and new, it's about greatness of NY as a multicultural center. The story is small, but heartbreaking. It's about our roots and predecessors, whoever you are, whatever confession you are. The technical quality of the film is not that great, but at the end it's a very low budget film about a theater that struggles to survive without financial support and enough money for higher end production and P&A budget. But this film has a lot of heart. It lets its heroes speak for themselves, and it's almost impossible not to feel the pain of main characters, who are real people. At the end, this film is a part of human history and will service future generations as another reflection of who are Jews, what is New York, and a thing called time, which is unstoppable, more often cruel than not, but unable to break a human spirit.

YIDDISH THEATER: A Love Story A Documentary Film by DAN KATZIR Reviewed by Martin Brandfon

I had the opportunity to see this gem of a film at the Peninsula JCC in Foster City, CA, last month (with the Director in attendance) and if you find it playing anywhere near you, call your friends and family to go see it!

Perhaps the title of the film is a little misleading; this is not a Yiddish film but it is a "love story" on many levels. (There are subtitles for the Yiddish parts and to help better understand the star's accented English.) The love objects are many: keeping Yiddish theater alive in New York; the close relationships between the dedicated "Yiddish Diva" Zypora Spaisman and her producer David Romeo; as well as the growing rapport between the film maker and his subject.

Filmed against the backdrop of New York City at Hanukkah time in 2000, the story unfolds: the aged but energetic star of the Yiddish Public Theater is trying to bring her off-Broadway production of Peretz' 1916 play, "Green Fields," to a theater closer to Times Square to attract bigger audiences. Despite a great review in the New York Times and inclusion as one of the 10 Best Off-Broadway Plays by the New York Post, raising enough money to move the show is the problem and the goal. The burning Hanukkah candles tick off the days until the final curtain falls.

The film captures the spirit and drive of the actress and provides an intimate portrait of the impact of her life's work on the play's cast, her family, her friends and ultimately on Yiddish theater. It also proves that no matter how old you are, dreams really can come true. Zypora Spaisman is an inspiration and Dan Katzir has preserved her unforgettable character for this generation.

In speaking to the Director, Dan Katzir, I realized that a parallel struggle exists in producing theater and distributing this documentary to wider audiences. The film has recently been shown in New York City at the Pioneer Theatre and in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Grande. Both the New York Times and Los Angeles Times gave it positive reviews but these screenings were limited runs. (Last year's showings at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival were sold out hits!)

So, if you are in a position to bring this film to your synagogue, JCC or other community organization, please contact the Dan Katzir, dan@newlovefilms.com and check out his other award-winning films at www.newlovefilms.com.