David Lui

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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 Lui

L. was born on 17 September 1887 in Warsaw, Poland. His parents were house owners. He learned in a cheder, in Meyzler's school and completed one course in Vavelberg's politechnium. After school he participated in Russian and Polish school productions.

As a member of the Yiddish section with P. S. S. he staged in school a strike against a teacher and later, due to the political environment, was arrested and spent one-and-a-half years in [paviak]. After his release, he went away to Berlin, where he became acquainted with Yiddish "amateurs" and debuted with them as "Yekl bel-eglh" in Richter's "Hertsele meyukhes", then he acted with them in other plays in Berlin and in other German cities.

He returned illegally to Poland, where he led a strike in the Yiddish theatre, came as such only in contact with Yiddish actors, and after acting for a short time with "amateurs" he entered as a professional with

Kompaneyets, where he acted for several months. Later he went around with Bernstein's provincial troupe, acted then for several years again with Kompaneyets in Warsaw and entered into Kaminski's troupe, where he acted for thirteen years with Esther Rukhl Kaminska in her entire repertoire across Poland and Russia. After her death, L. toured with Ida Kaminska-Zygmunt Turkow's troupe, and he last acted in a members troupe in Warsaw.

L. also had for several weeks, together with Zygmunt Turkow and Yokheved Zilberg, acted in Yiddish one-acters ..., and he also participated in the film "L'u" (Director Jonas Turkow).

M. E.