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[Page 105]
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The history of Jewish theater-lovers[1] in Volkovysk is strongly tied up with a Jewish man of the people, Mottel (Cohen) Kilikovsky, who was known for his productive activity on behalf of the Fire Brigade. Mottel Kilikovsky, who was orphaned and brought up by relatives, – first in the home of his grandfather, Sholom Potshter (whose son, Tzal'yeh was Mottel's father), and later, after his grandfather's death by his uncle, Leibeh Potshter, and his wife Bob'cheh die Zogerkeh,[2] already as a child, manifested an affinity and love for the theater. He would gather up the neighboring children, and he would muster them in Russian like soldiers. At that time, a Polish doctor named Jeletsz lived in that neighborhood, on the Ostroger Gasse, who was amused by the children when every time Motkeh would muster his ‘troops’ near his house, and he would give Motkeh, the leader, a small sum of money – and Motkeh used the money to buy toy trumpets and drums and created a children's military orchestra. At Purim time, Motkeh would get the children together and perform Purim skits such as “The Binding of Isaac,” “The Selling of Joseph,” and others.
A little later, at the age of ten years, Motkeh became a helper to Moshe Meir the Melamed (whose daughter he married many years later), and at the age of thirteen, Motkeh left to travel into the outside world – first to Grodno, where he worked in paving streets with bricks, and afterwards in Kovno, where he learned to become a barber. Later, he returned to Grodno, where he worked in a hairdressing salon, which was located not far from the theater and where the actors would often come. In those years, the Jewish troupe of Abraham Fizhon came to Grodno to give guest performances. The young Motkeh made the acquaintance of the actors, and in time, he began to participate in their productions – first as a substitute, and later also in small parts.
The Establishment of the Amateur TheaterWhen Motkeh was 16 years old, he returned to Volkovysk. At that time – the final years of the 19th century – an organization called ‘Linat Tzedek’ was founded in Volkovysk, which had a need for money and medical supplies, and seeing as it was several weeks before Purim, the new group decided to approach the young people in town proposing that they put on a Purim-play whose intake would be donated for the use of the newly founded organization. An assembly of young people was called, in which the following participated: Shalakhman the shoemaker, Itcheh Mot'cheh's, Vashchinkeh the shoemaker, ‘Nioma Chaim Archeh's, Leizh'keh Chaim Archeh's, Motkeh (Cohen) Kilikovsky, and others. Motkeh proposed, that instead of a Purim-play, which was suitable for children, that they put on a real theater production, and after a discussion, Motkeh's proposal was accepted, and it was decided to put on the play, ‘Shulamit’ under the direction of Motkeh Kilikovsky.
It was characteristic of the times that it was not possible, under any circumstances, to find young women in Volkovysk who would consent to participate in a theater production, and therefore some of the boys had to take
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female roles. Sholom Kilikovsky (Leibeh Potshter's son, and a cousin of Motkeh's), played the part of Shulamit; Leizh'keh Ripsky (Chaim Archeh's son), played the role of Absalom. Il'keh the Baker – the role of Manoah; Motkeh, the director – the role of Tzigentang; Shalakhman the shoemaker – the role of Nathan the Priest. The entire cast consisted of sixteen people, and the play was presented on Purim in the old hospital (Bolnitsa), on the Schulhof. Zus'yeh the Shammes, who was a carpenter, put together the stage sets, and benches and lamps were taken from the Batei Medrashim. A very large audience came to the presentation. As soon as the play began, a gendarme came running into the premises, and came up to the prompter and took the script for ‘Shulamit’ from him to determine if the text had been approved by the censor. When he saw that it had the censor's permission, he gave the script back and said that the play should not be presented again without a permit.
The troupe presented the play a second time the next day, on Shushan-Purim. The Hall once again was packed, and the ‘Linat Tzedek’ organization earned handsome revenues.
From that time on, Motkeh thought and planned about how to present legitimate theater in Volkovysk, with women in the female roles, and with all the necessary theater equipment – until an auspicious hour came for Motkeh.
Translator's footnotes:
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| Bottom right: A scene from the play, “The Selling of Joseph” | Bottom row, right: Reuven Rutchik (Later to be the Editor of Volkovysker Leben), plays the part of Joseph; Znaidin – plays the part of Judah, and Galai – plays the part of Simeon. |
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| The two left pictures present scenes from the play, “Uriel Acosta” Top: From right to left, the women: Leah Scher and Taib'l (A daughter-in-law of Sholom the Scribe) The Men: Lisitsky, Peremolnik, Yaakov Fisher |
Bottom, Standing: Leizer Shiff, Shepsel Ravitzky, Yoss'l Pikarsky (Poliak), Chaim Rubinovich. Underneath: Yaakov Fisher and Leah Scher.[1] |
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A couple of years later, a Fire Brigade was established in Volkovysk, in which Motkeh was very active. In those years, the important leadership of the Russian community, and the prominent members of Volkovysk belonged to the Firefighters Organization, and among them was the ‘Revizor’ Zhdanov who was also the chief of the [Firefighters] Organization, and the deputy, Ivanov. Motkeh approached the chief, and told him that he wanted to act with a Jewish theater troupe, and the revenues raised would be for the benefit of the firefighters organization. He asked the chief to obtain a permit for him. The chief told him to go to the deputy and ask him, in his name, that he should issue the permit. To the deputy's question – as to which language would be used in the play, Motkeh replied, in German – and the deputy issued him a permit for four performances.
It was at this point that Motkeh set about assembling the cast, and since he could not find two female
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performers in Volkovysk for the troupe, which were needed for the performance of ‘Shulamit,’ he traveled to Bialystok and brought back a young lady named Chay'keh Weissenberg, who had a good voice and sang well. Motkeh hired her for twenty rubles – a pretty sum for those years! – with lodging and food for the duration of her stay in Volkovysk. Motkeh rehearsed Chay'keh in her role. He then approached Moshe Aizik the bandleader, and sang the songs of ‘Shulamit’ for him, which Moshe Aizik then transcribed into musical notes. When they completed the transcription, the local musicians were assembled, and they began to practice. The parts were distributed as follows: The Director – Motkeh (Cohen) Kilikovsky; Absalom – played by a young fellow with a good tenor voice (not from Volkovysk); Shulamit – Chay'keh Weissenberg from Bialystok; Tzigentang – Motkeh Kilikovsky, the Director; Manoah – Il'keh the Baker; Avigayil – Leah Chisterazus (from the ironmonger's store); Yoav Gideoni – Shlomo'keh Lev (Shmuel the Artist's son); Avinadav - Shmuel Petikier; Nathan the Priest – Moshe Ar'keh Bulansky.
The total of the participants, together with those who played minor roles and with the musicians, came to 25 people.
Since the performance was for the benefit of the fire-fighters organization, the troupe could make use of the Bulharin Park. The chief of the fire-fighters organization, in response to Motkeh's request, ordered material to be brought into the park for a stage. Afterwards, Meisel the printer ran off placards that were pasted all over the city. All four performances were rewarded with a large turnout. People also came from the surrounding towns to see the presentations. The public demanded that the play be put on yet again, but the deputy did not want to issue any more permits; he said that he suspected there were presentations of [subversive] political propaganda, and that is why the play attracts such a large audience.
A year later, Motkeh wanted to produce the play, Die Kishuf-Makherkeh[2] (Bubbeh Yakhneh). Again, he went to the deputy for a permit, but the deputy did not want to issue it, and advised him to go to the governor in Grodno. Motkeh traveled to Grodno, where he received the permit, and simultaneously brought back a young lady from Grodno with a good voice, for the role of Mireleh. There was only one performance – in Bulharin's Park – and this was the last time the Jewish amateurs performed Yiddish theater in Volkovysk before the outbreak of the First World War in the year 1914.
Translator's footnotes:
HaZamir and Harpeh
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Right to left, in the center are standing: Abraham Galiatsky (The Barber) and Leizer Shiff |
In the beginning of 1916, during the German occupation, a group of Jewish boys and girls, lovers of the Yiddish theater, created in Volkovysk – under the leadership of Motkeh Pas-Kilikovsky – a Jewish amateur theater group, HaZamir which continued until the end of the War.
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Among the founders were: Leizer Sokolsky, Leizer Shiff, Rash'eh (the daughter of the Tailor from Rosh), Yoss'l Pikarsky (Poliak), V. Yerusalimsky (son of the Shokhet), Israel Schein (the doctor, son of Jedediah the Shammes), and others.
The Jewish residents of Volkovysk were starved for Yiddish presentations, for Yiddish theater, and as a result, the reaction of the Jews to the newly established theater was a very warm one.
The theater began to perform Goldfaden's plays, such as “Shulamit,” “Bar Kochba,” “Die Kishuf-Makherkeh.” Initially, Botvinik's cinema theater served as a playhouse for the theater group, and afterwards the troupe relocated to Poliachek's building, and some time after that, the troupe again moved [back] to Botvinik's cinema theater, in which there was a ready-made stage and seating for several hundred people.
The principal players were: Leizer Sokolsky, Motkeh (Cohen) Kilikovsky, Leizer Shiff, and Yoss'l Pikarsky (Poliak). The orchestra leader was Israel Schein the furniture finisher. Among the actors in the troupe were: ‘Niomka Solkovich’ (the Tailor), Motteh, Ahareh's son, V. Yerusalimsky (son of the Shokhet), Rash'eh (the daughter of the Tailor from Rosh), Tzivia Kaminsky (from the Kholodoisker Gasse), Israel Weiner (from the Grodno Gasse), Jesierski's daughter (from the Wide Boulevard, who later married Sokolsky), Pes'sha (David Hirsch'l's daughter), Yoss'l Shkolnik, and Yoss'l Boyarsky.
The initial performance drew a large audience. There simply was not enough space in the theater to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend, and the performance of “Shulamit” had to be given several times. The same was true of “Bar Kochba” and “ Koldunya[1].” The audience absorbed each performance with great savor.
The Jewish intelligentsia initially maintained some distance from the amateur theater. However, when they saw the reaction and interest it generated among the Jewish populace for a pure Yiddish theater, the intelligentsia slowly began to draw closer to the theater, and many offered their services to it.
Mr. Galai, who remained in Volkovysk during the time of the occupation, and was a professional Russian actor, later became the director of the theater. Also Marian, a professional Russian actress was drawn to the theater. The Jewish writer Jedediah Margolis, and the outstanding chanteuse Liotsha Glembodska also supported the theater. In time, the theater began to put on productions of the plays of Sholom Asch, Nomberg, Peretz Hirshbein, Yaakov Gordon, etc.
The amateur theater would put on evening mini-performances which were no less well-attended than the regular performances.
Young people from the surrounding towns used to travel to the performances in Volkovysk, and the theater received invitations to come to the towns in the vicinity in order to put on their performances there. However, afterwards, the German authorities forbade the theater from traveling about (as it happens, there was an incident in Svislucz: a number of the members of the troupe were set upon and beaten by drunken German soldiers; among those who were beaten, was Leizer Sokolsky, who was seriously hurt).
A number of the members of the troupe later began quarreling over the allocation of parts, envy, personality
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clashes, and other reasons – which led to the formation of another theater group under the name “Die Harpeh.”[2] The leaders of the Harpeh were Motteh-Leib Kaplan, Motkeh Kilikovsky and others. The troupe began to put on Goldfaden's plays in an impromptu manner.
There was no peace between the two theater groups. They would engage in heated disputes. As Motkeh Kilikovsky relates, both organizations finally looked about them, and they concluded that it made no sense to be constantly at odds with one another, and they decided to reunite into one theater troupe. There was only one question, what shall the unified organization be called – HaZamir or Die Harpeh. It was decided to cast lots. After the lots were drawn, it was decided to adopt the name HaZamir. After this reunification, a new director was also appointed.
Leah'keh Scher a truly talented actress with a pleasant voice was among those who contributed a great deal to the development of the Yiddish theater in Volkovysk.
In time, the troupe also brought in actors from Bialystok, and successfully performed several plays and operettas. Zevkina, a Jewish girl from Bialystok who came from a poor household, used to take Volkovysk by storm with her performances on stage. She was a beautiful mezzo-soprano with a fine voice. And Greenhouse, a well-known Yiddish actor, excelled in the plays of Gordon and Hirshbein. Together with newly acquired resources from Volkovysk, the Yiddish theater became truly a fine institution, which occupied an important place in Volkovysk.
Not looking at all the difficulties of that time – of the German occupation – the Yiddish theater, which only existed for a couple of years, helped energize the Jewish residents of Volkovysk , and created for it a great cultural sense of satisfaction.
Translator's footnotes:
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Right to left, first row, from the bottom: Yaakov Einstein, Herschel Werner, Shaul Mazya Second row, seated: Boruch Beckenstein, Elkeh Ogulnick, Liebeh Kaufman, Yaakov Fisher (Head of the Group), Sarah Slapak, Hanokh Winetsky Third row, standing: Unknown, Yud'l Shklavin, Avreml Wallach, Moses Mandelbaum, Kantor (from Svislucz), Natan Davidovsky |
A short time afterwards, already under Polish rule, Motkeh Kilikovsky – at the request of the Zionists, who had asked him to arrange a performance to benefit the Zionist movement – organized a troupe of young boys and put on the play, “Zerubabel.” In the troupe, which consisted of thirty people, the following participated: A son of Alter Galai (the Butcher), Klatshkin (a nephew of Avromsky the Pharmacist), who is today a member of the “HaBima” theater group in Israel, Znaydik, Bon'yeh from Zamoscheh, A son & daughter of Mottel Kilikovsky, etc. The performance was given in Botvinik's cinema theater.
A short time afterwards, Motkeh Kilikovsky left Volkovysk and went to join his relatives in America.
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HaZamir was later revived and carried out theater activities under the direction of Yaakov Fisher (his wife was Kham'eh Yudzhik, the daughter of Yudzhik the Expediter[1]). During his tenure, the plays “Uriel Acosta,” “King Lear,” and “The American Lady” were produced, and also many Russian plays, which were translated into Yiddish. Performances were given twice a month in Botvinik's cinema house – and the revenues went to the benefit of those Volkovysk institutions that cared for the needy, such as the orphanage, the old age home, Linat Kholim, and also to benefit individual needy people on a private basis.
Among those who took part in theater productions were: Ladies – Scher, Yelsky and Ziskindovich; Men – Ripsky, Yoss'l Pikarsky, Chaim Rubinovich, Leizer Shiff, Shklavin, and Yud'l Rutchik.
It is interesting, that at the time when Joseph (Yoss'l) Pikarsky emigrated to Cuba and then to North America, the following notice appeared in the Volkovysker Leben of June 27, 1930, under the title, “Oy! Oy! Yoss'eleh is Leaving!”:
“On Tuesday, the darling of the circle of local young people Joseph Pikarsky, known to us as Yoss'eleh Poliak, is leaving for Cuba. Pikarsky endeared himself through his many performances in many productions put on by the local Drama Circle. His participation always drew a large audience, who immensely enjoyed and laughed heartily at his comic roles, in which he excelled most of all.”
After Fisher emigrated from Volkovysk, and a portion of the players also dispersed – nevertheless, productions still took place, put on by the young people (the Drama Circle of Tel Chai), under the direction of Leizer Shiff.
Thanks to this well-developed theater activity, Volkovysk became very strongly interested in Yiddish theater and in Yiddish art, and as a result, every important Yiddish theater troupe from the large cities would often come to Volkovysk to put on guest performances. The Jewish Volkovysk public received these Yiddish performers with great warmth, and gave them a hearty reception.
Translator's footnote:
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