Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

Kalmen Juvelier
(Yovelier; Yuvelier)
 

J. was born on 12 May 1863 in Lemberg, Eastern Galicia, to poor parents. At age nine he sung with Cantor Barukh Schorr, and for a short time later with a cantor from the city shul, Aaron Sholem Sherman. Afterwards he became a "folk singer" together with Moshe Mordechai, Aaron Parkh, (Ezra Marshalek's brother), later with the "Broder Singer" Khayim Bendel, Kofke Dubinski, Khayim Shmuel Lukatsher, Afrimil Broder, Mendele Rotman and with Velvel Zbarazher. Afterwards J. left to travel on foot across the province with Khayim Abramovitsh, Itzik Sheyner and Henekh Linetski, until they came to Czernowitz where they performed more "theatre music". In the production of "Shmendrik", J. acted in the role of "Breyne di arendarke". When the "troupe" caught on, and he had acted in Botoshan in a Yiddish theatre, J. left thither together with Mendele Rotman, and they became part of Itzik Mendl Bergman's troupe (Avraham Simovitsh, Rose Friedman, Yonah and Itshe Ferkoyf, Liza Eynhorn et al). His first roles here were: The solo of "Heyse bobkelekh" in "Koldonye" and "Falig" in Lateiner's "Dybbuk".

After a short tour across Rumania and Bukovina, they did very bad business. The troupe returned in 1889 to Czernowitz where they arrived at "Professor" Hurwitz's with his daughter and Ides Betsalel Grinberg. J. went over to their troupe, where he married the prima donna Yetta Roich.

Wandering for a short time across Galicia under Valgeshafen's concession, J. obtained by himself a concession and became its

 

director, acting with his troupe for seventeen years across Galicia, Bukovina, Rumania, Constantinople, Alexandria and Cairo. In this troupe he raised a generation of young actors. Here J. had also acted from time to time, with Dina Feinman, Mogulesko, Kalich and Lobel. During this time J. acted (1890-1) in Gimpel's troupe under Goldfaden's direction.

In 1900 Hurwitz came to Czernowitz and J. went over with his troupe of twenty-one men to America. Here in 1908 Yetta Roich died, and J. in 1910 married Bina Abramovich.

In America J. acted for five years at the Windsor Theatre. Afterwards he became partners with Shpachner, Kalich and Feinman, then he acted with Adler, Kessler, Kalich, Mogulesko, and afterwards he became a leaser of the Liberty Theatre. Later he acted with Thomashefsky.

In 1913 he guest-starred in Argentina.

From 1921-28 he acted in Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre.

In 1929-30 he again was in New York's Second Avenue Theatre.

In 1931-2 he acted at the Lyric Theatre.

In 1932 he was in the Gaiety Theatre.

J.'s daughter, Mina Juvelier, A [kamer]-singer, in 1927 passed away in New York. A second daughter, Gin, acts in the Yiddish theatre.


Sh. E.

  • Sh. Y. Dorfzon -- Avraham Goldfaden in Rumania, "Yiddish Theatre", Vienna, 1 January 1927.

  • M. Osherowitz -- Bina abramovitsh hot yuvelirn nit gevalt areynlozn keyn amerike. Dernokh hot zi khatuna gehat mit im. "Forward", N.Y., 28 Dec. 1930.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2, page 909.
 

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