Joseph Edelstein portrait from Klangen fun mayn lebn

Joseph Edelstein ( yi, יוסף עדלשטײן, 1858–1940) was an actor in

Yiddish Theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues ...

in America.

Early life

Joseph (Yozef) Edelstein was born December 10, 1858 in Iasi, Romania. His father was a bookkeeper. As a small boy he went to "

cheder A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...

". After completing

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

he attended a gymnasium. His father lent money to arriving folk singers and actors from Goldfaden's troupe. He came into contact with the actors of the "

Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revu ...

". He was married to Pauline Finkelstein, who also acted in the Yiddish theatres. They had two children, Isidore and Elias. Isadore acted in the Yiddish theatres for a short time, and Elias worked with his father and later ran the Second Avenue Theater.

America

He and his wife emigrated to America in 1886. He became a ticket controller, and in 1889 he became the manager of the

Windsor Theatre The 48th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 157 West 48th Street in Manhattan. It was built by longtime Broadway producer William A. Brady and designed by architect William Albert Swasey. The venue was also called the Equity 48th Stree ...

. He was associated with David Kessler, Zigmund Feinman, Zigmund Mogulesko,

Boris Thomashefsky Boris Thomashefsky (russian: Борис Пинхасович Томашевский, sometimes written Thomashevsky, Thomaschevsky, etc.; yi, באָריס טאָמאשעבסקי) (1868–1939), born Boruch-Aharon Thomashefsky, was a Ukrainian-b ...

, and

Jacob Adler Jacob Pavlovich Adler (Yiddish: יעקבֿ פּאַװלאָװיטש אַדלער; born Yankev P. Adler; February 12, 1855 – April 1, 1926)IMDB biography was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and ...

. He also managed the Thalia Theatre, and the People's Theatre. In 1912, when the National Theatre was built, he entered into a partnership with

, David Kessler, Max Wilner (1895-1956) in the National Theatre and

Second Avenue Theatre Village East by Angelika (originally the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre, also Village East, and formerly known by several other names) is a movie theater at 189 Second Avenue, on the corner with 12th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan in N ...

in the

Yiddish Theater District The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, b ...

. In 1919, he returned to become the manager of the Second Avenue Theatre until the 1931-1932 season. In the 1921-30 seasons he was partners with

Joseph Rumshinsky Joseph Rumshinsky (1881–1956) was a Jewish composer born near Vilna, Lithuania (then part of Russian Poland). Along with Sholom Secunda, Alexander Olshanetsky and Abraham Ellstein, he is considered one of the "big four" composers and conductors ...

, Jacob Kalich,

Molly Picon Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yidd ...

, William Pasternak, Nathan Parnes and Max Seger, and one season with

Maurice Schwartz Maurice Schwartz, born Avram Moishe Schwartz (June 18, 1890 – May 10, 1960),Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, and brought the actress

Bertha Kalich Bertha Kalich (also spelled Kalish, born Beylke Kalakh; 17 May 1874 – 18 April 1939) was a Ukrainian-Jewish-American actress. Though she was well-established as an entertainer in Eastern Europe, she is best remembered as one of the several ...

to America. From

Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

he brought the actor Karl Shramek. He died on September 24, 1940 and is buried in

Washington Cemetery Washington Cemetery may refer to: *Washington Cemetery (Brooklyn) *Washington Cemetery (Washington Court House, Ohio) {{Disambiguation ...

in Brooklyn alongside of his wife

Pauline Edelstein Pauline Edelstein (February 10, 1866 – September 27, 1942) was a Yiddish theatre actress. Birth Born Pauline Finkelstein, in Iasi, Romania on February 10, 1866 and died September 27, 1942 in Manhattan, New York. Her father was a "cutter" by pr ...

and his son, Isidore Edelstein.Find-A-Grave
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelstein, Joseph 1858 births 1940 deaths Actors from Iași Romanian Ashkenazi Jews Yiddish theatre performers Romanian emigrants to the United States