Israel Birnbaum

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Lives in the Yiddish Theatre

SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE YIDDISH THEATRE
AS DESCRIBED IN ZALMEN ZYLBERCWEIG'S "LEXICON OF THE YIDDISH THEATRE"

1931-1969

Israel Birnbaum
(Yisrael-Iser Barnboym)

B. was born on 19 June 1897 in Bialystok, Polish Lithuania. His father was a wealthy manager of a stationery business, who had been an amateur actor in his youth.

Birnbaum studied in a cheder and public school and finally graduated from the Russian Alexandrov gymnasium.

He started his theatrical career as an amateur in the “Yiddish Arts” organization, directed by Yankev Patt. He studied singing from the music director of that same organization, Pesakh Kaplan. During World War I he performed professionally with the actor Yakobovitch, toured with a German operetta troupe, and in 1918, joined L. Sokolov’s dramatic company. Afterwards, from 1920-1927, he played in Riga, where for one season, he had the opportunity to direct together with Einessen; moreover, he became the stage director of that troupe. In Riga, Birnbaum also took part occasionally in German and Russian

operettas, dramatic presentations, and was in the film "The Disturbing Journey." In 1927 and 1928 Birnbaum played with the Lodz collective, and after that he made guest appearances throughout the Polish provinces. At the start of 1929 he performed in Paris and London.

Birnbaum translated several plays, including some one-act plays which were performed on stage. During World War I, he translated plays from German to Russian, as well as some from Yiddish to German and Russian.

Sh. E.