A Tale of Two Museums
Ester Rachel Kaminska Theater Museum Collection

Dybbuk mania in Poland

Khonen and Henokh.JPG

Title

Dybbuk mania in Poland

Description

The Dybbuk premiered in Warsaw in 1920 in a production by the Vilna Troupe. Its plot revolved around the young Leah, daughter of the rich merchant Sender, and the poor yeshiva student and kabbalist Khonen. They fall in love when he comes to her house as a dinner guest. When Sender chooses another groom for Leah, Khonen--in the thrall of dangerous mystical ideas--kills himself and takes possession of her body during the wedding festivities. 

The play turned into a massive success, drawing large audiences for over a year, from all the shades of society, including a considerable number of Christians. A Yiddish columnist in Warsaw remarked that "of every five Jews in the city, a dozen watched 
The Dybbuk. How could this be? It is not a play you attend merely once." In the Polish capital alone, it was staged over three hundred times. 

Rights

YIVO owns the compilation of content that is posted on this website, which consists of text, images, and/or audio, and video. However, YIVO does not necessarily own each component of the compilation. Some content is in the public domain and some content is protected by third party rights. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in YIVO websites.

The materials on this web site may be used for personal, research and educational purposes only. Publication (including posting on the Internet and online exhibitions) or any other use without prior authorization is prohibited. Please visit https://www.yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions for more information about use of materials from this website.

YIVO has employed due diligence in seeking to identify copyright holders of the materials in this compilation. We invite any copyright owners who are not properly identified to contact us at yivomail@yivo.cjh.org.

Citation

“Dybbuk mania in Poland,” YIVO Online Exhibitions, accessed December 23, 2024, https://shaulgoldman.yivo.org/items/show/2900.
Submit a transcription, translation or additional information on the song or the performer