Zypora Spaisman (born January , , Lublin, Poland â€" d. May , , New
York City) was an actress and Yiddish theatre empresaria.Born Zypora
Tannenbaum, she worked in her native Poland as a midwife for many
years, delivering hundreds of children, including during World War II
when she witnessed horrendous suffering. After emigrating to the
United States in , she became an actress.Spaisman, during her career
as an actress, was long associated with the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre
in NYC and, along with Morris Adler, kept it alive for years.
Following a dispute with the Folksbiene's new management in , she
founded the Yiddish Public Theatre.The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre,
originally located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in what was
then known as the Forward Building and later ensconced across from the
Central Synagogue in its Community House building (both locations
during Spaisman's tenure), is the longest-running Yiddish theatre
company in the world. Founded in as an amateur group dedicated to
producing non-commercial Yiddish theater and world drama in Yiddish
translation, it turned professional in later decades. It was sustained
by Morris Adler, who joined the company in , and Spaisman, who joined
twenty years later. During Spaisman and Adler's tenure, the Folksbiene
remained a bastion for Yiddish literary culture.[citation needed]
York City) was an actress and Yiddish theatre empresaria.Born Zypora
Tannenbaum, she worked in her native Poland as a midwife for many
years, delivering hundreds of children, including during World War II
when she witnessed horrendous suffering. After emigrating to the
United States in , she became an actress.Spaisman, during her career
as an actress, was long associated with the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre
in NYC and, along with Morris Adler, kept it alive for years.
Following a dispute with the Folksbiene's new management in , she
founded the Yiddish Public Theatre.The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre,
originally located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in what was
then known as the Forward Building and later ensconced across from the
Central Synagogue in its Community House building (both locations
during Spaisman's tenure), is the longest-running Yiddish theatre
company in the world. Founded in as an amateur group dedicated to
producing non-commercial Yiddish theater and world drama in Yiddish
translation, it turned professional in later decades. It was sustained
by Morris Adler, who joined the company in , and Spaisman, who joined
twenty years later. During Spaisman and Adler's tenure, the Folksbiene
remained a bastion for Yiddish literary culture.[citation needed]
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