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Kompaneyets
(Warsaw Muranow Theatre), where she
performed in her first large role ('Beynishl')
in Thomashefsky's operetta, "Dos pintele
yid"). From here she went over to the Lodz
"United Troupe," under the leadership of
Mittelman, where she had the opportunity,
the first to create the role of "the
daughter' in Yitskhok Katzenelson's
"Caricatures." Later she joined the "United
Troupe" with Ester Rokhl Kaminska as the
head, and participated in a tour across the
main cities of the former Russia.
After he
marriage to theatre director Nakhum Lipovski
L. joined her husband's troupe (under the
pseudonym Volska and later Lipovska), in
which she played the first soubrette and
prima donna roles in the operettas, and as
first dramatic actor in the drama. Thus she
created here, the first, the role of "Tsirl"
in Hirshbein's "A farvorfener vinkl (A
Faraway Corner)," and "Norma" in Sven
Lange's "Samson and Delilah" (translated by
Zalmen Zylbercweig).
In 1927-28 L.
played in the troupes under the direction of
Rudolf Zaslavsky, and later of Kadish-Khash.
A boon of that
time, Z. Zylbercweig in his essay, portrays
her husband Nakhum Lipovski:
"And here I am
again in Poland, and in Krakow, where his
wife plays, The gospel tells me that
Lipovski was seriously ill and his wife was
called to Vilna. Today, tomorrow, [what does
it matter?] the disaster will happen. Today
I expect that, in my plans, I have to be in
Vilnius again. I hastened my journey, sailed
to him, found him half-paralyzed sitting in
a chair. His wife serves him like a small
child, for he cannot give a touch. After
several weeks he suddenly returned to be
paralyzed. But the paralysis made him
weaker. ... Although he was forbidden to
speak, he nevertheless spoke continuously.
There was no sign of the former Lipovski, of
the master's memory. Started talking about
one end, not ending and moving on to
another, and in the meantime, some words
sounded incomprehensible. Suddenly his
former strong voice came again, and calling
for his wife, he said: 'Ester, which fara plays
have I played?' The actor responded to him,
and soon he took his wife by her hand and
said, 'I want to be healthy, I want to go to
Canada, then I also want to take you down.'
His wife agreed: 'Whoever is healthy,
Nakhum!.' But it felt like both were playing
the theatre, both only want to comfort the
other, but they don't believe their words.
They know that the end is coming."
After her
husband's death, L. participated in the
member troupes under the direction of
Potacka, Baratov and Moshe Lipman, with whom
she wandered across Poland, then for several
years she played in Kovno (Lita), under the
direction of Bukantz. In the last years she
crossed over to the mother role type, and
they put in a lot of heartiness and
softness.
L. also
participated in the film "Chasia the
Orphan," per Jacob Gordin (role of
"Chasia"), and "Der yeshiva bokhur (The
Yeshiva Student)," per I. Solotorefsky (role
of "Esterke"), and together with H.
Weissman, she sung Yiddish couplets in a
gramophone.
L.'s son from
actor Lazar Zhelazo, Simkha (Sasha)
Lipovski, was a Yiddish actor, and died in
the Vilna Ghetto.
L. recalls
that her own child, the actress Zlatke
Yaroslavska, the future wife of Yiddish
theatre director Boris Bukantz.
About her
tragic end, Sh. Kaczerginski writes in his
book, "The Destruction of Vilna":
"Ester
Lipovska, well-known Yiddish operetta
actress (wife of Nakhum Lipovski), in the
Vilna Ghetto, felt broken. To all troubles,
L. received a damaging blow due to the
illness and death of her only son, the actor
Simkha Lipovski. Lest there not be hunger,
Lipovski played theatre. The actress then
was greeted by her many friends with a great
evening, dedicated to her fifty-year
anniversary.
At the
liquidation, L., together with her
daughter-in-law, the actress Sonia Mintz,
was sent way on the left side. The
grandchild (granddaughter) Tzirele was saved
from a German camp ."
And Jonas Turkow writes:
"She was a
very hearty human being, and a good fiend.
During the Nazi Occupation she was in the
Vilna Ghetto after playing her beloved role
of 'Mirele Efros.' There she, just as most
all the Yiddish actors, were killed."
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"Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre," Vol.
2, Warsaw, 1934, p. 1097-98.
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Zalmen
Zylbercweig -- "Teater-figurn," Buenos
Aires, 1936, pp. 73-80.
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Sh.
Kaczerginski -- "The Destruction of
Vilna," New York, 1947, p. 227.
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Jonas
Turkow -- "Extinguished Stars," Buenos
Aires, 1953, Vol. 1, pp. 262-68.
-
Sh.
Bliacher -- "Eyn un tsvantsik un eyner,"
New York, 1962, pp. 85-90.
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