David Gedalya Hamburger

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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

David Gedalya Hamburger

Born on 27 March 1890 in Nowy Dwor, Warsaw Gubernia, Poland, into a family of Orthodox Jews. Until age fourteen he learned in a yeshiva and then, being already in Lodz, became a sack worker.

Attending the Yiddish theatre, he founded a dramatic circle which performed in July 1905 in Lodz's Grand Theatre with Julius Oskar, Gordin's "Der yidisher kenig lir (The Jewish King Lear)", in which H. played the role of "Avraham Khrif"

H. then traveled around with a circle across several cities, and in 1906 he joined Bernstein's troupe. In 1907 -- in the united troupe of Libert-Krause-Serotsky, 1908 -- with the director Balzac in Lithuania, 1909 -- with director Harlamp-Kanievski, and later with Lantsman in Bessarabia, until the outbreak of the World War.

Returning to Poland, H. joined in 1917 the miniature theatre of Kustin-Yedvab, with whom he went on a tour across Poland. 1918 -- he acted in Lodz's Skala Theatre (Directors J. Adler and H. Serotsky), and 1920 -- in Lodz's Grand Theatre, in Polish theatre (Director A. G. Kompaneyets), 1921 -- participated in a tour across Western Europe for the Berlin Yiddish art theatre (Asro's "Vilna Troupe"), 1923 -- went back to Lodz, where he participated until 1930 in the local collective troupe.

H. is regisseur of a dramatic circle in Aleksander by Lodz.

Specialty: Character roles.

Sh. E.