Sholem Aleichem

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness

I felt I had attended a full university course on the writings of the great Yiddish author, Sholem Aleichem. I have read many of his stories and was thrilled to learn more about the life and the works of this great author. Fiddler On The Roof was based on his many stories about Tevye, the dairyman who had several daughters.
The stories were based on the life of the poor Jews living in the shtetls of Russia. These were the little towns where the Jews lived. The streets were all dirt. The houses were small hovels and the transportation was by horse and cart. The people lived a traditional life and shared a common culture. The film was a historical journey through the small towns of Eastern Europe from the 1850’s to the 1930’s.
We learn about Sholom Aleichem’s childhood. As a young child he developed his fantasies of being rich. He was able to turn tragedy into comedy and his witty stories and philosophical sayings have weathered the years.
I enjoyed the interviews with Yiddish scholars and professors. They discussed the importance of his writings. His granddaughter recalls incidents from his life. It was all so interesting and very educational.
He has been referred to as the Jewish Mark Twain. It has been said that he validated the lives of the poor by making them laugh at themselves and helped them to feel that their lives were worth something.
He wrote a book Tales of 1001 Nights. It has been labeled as a precursor of Holocaust Literature.
He died in 1916. 200,000 people attended the funeral and lined the streets. His works have been revered in the Soviet Union, Israel and America. There were also times when he was not popular.
Stalin executed all the Yiddish writers at that time all in one night. The Jews were always the scapegoats and lived in constant fear.
It was a most informative documentary. It is only playing at the Empress Theatre on north Yonge St. It was worth the trip.