Pauline Edelstein (February 10, 1866 – September 27, 1942) was a

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 ...

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 profession.

Marriage

She was married to Joseph Edelstein a

owner, playwright and director. They had two children, Isidore Edelstein, who for a short time also acted in the Yiddish theatres, and Elias Edelstein, who worked with his father and later ran the Second Avenue Theater.

Early life

She learned in a "

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 ...

" with her sister Amalia. Amalia married actor Zigmund Mogulesko. Through her affiliation with her sister she entered the chorus of Mugulesko-Goldfaden's troupes in Romania and Russia. In Russia she acted as Genendl in Shom'r's '' Der Katorzhnik'' and as Tamar in

Joseph Lateiner Joseph Lateiner (1853 – 1935) was a playwright in the early years of Yiddish theater, first in Bucharest, Romania and later in New York City, where he was a co-founder in 1903 with Sophia Karp of the Grand Theater, New York's first purpose-buil ...

's '' Di libe fun tzion''.

America

In 1886 she emigrated to America with her husband and continued to act in Yiddish theatre mainly under the direction of her husband, Joseph Edelstein. She acted in character roles and was the first to act in the role of Mishke in Lateiner's operetta '' Mishke and Moshke'', and in

Jacob Gordin Jacob Michailovitch Gordin (Yiddish: יעקב מיכאַילאָװיטש גאָרדין; May 1, 1853 – June 11, 1909) was a Russian-born American playwright active in the early years of Yiddish theater. He is known for introducing realism and ...

's (18531909) plays: Froy Rozenkrants in ''

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

'' on November 13, 1891 in

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 ...

's Union Theater; Zelda in '' Der vilder mentsh'' on November 4, 1893 in 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 ...

, as Madam Zhamanuli in '' Devorahle myukhst'' in 1893; and as Freyde Henye in '' Dovidl mshurr'' in 1899. In 1901 she guest-starred together with Boris and

Bessie Thomashefsky Bessie Thomashefsky (1873 – July 6, 1962), born Briche Baumfeld-Kaufman, was a Russian-born Jewish American singer, actress and comedian, a star in Yiddish theater beginning in the 1890s. She was the wife and stage partner of Boris Thomas ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in Lateiner's '' Dovids fidele''. After that, due to illness, she withdrew from the stage. Both of her sisters, Amalia Mogulesko and Ernestine (Esther Finkelstein), for a short time acted on the Yiddish stage. Her son, Isidore Edelstein married Annie Thomashefsky, sister of Boris Thomashefsky.

Death

She died on September 27, 1942 in New York. She is buried in Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York alongside of her husband Joseph Edelstein.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelstein, Pauline 1866 births 1942 deaths Actors from Iași Romanian Jews Romanian emigrants to the United States Jewish American actresses Vaudeville performers Yiddish theatre performers