Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice occupies a unique place in world culture. As the fictional, albeit iconic, character of Shylock has been interpreted as exotic outsider, social pariah, melodramatic villain and tragic victim, the play, which has been performed and read in dozens of languages, has served as a lens for examining ideas and images of the Jew at various historical moments. In the last two hundred years, many of the play's stage interpreters, spectators, readers and adapters have themselves been Jews, whose responses are often embedded in literary, theatrical and musical works. This volume examines the ever-expanding body of Jewish responses to Shakespeare's most Jewishly relevant play.
An account of the history of the Arbeter Teater Farband (Artef), a New York-based Yiddish worker art theater that operated within the orbit of American Jewish communism principally during the Depressi
In his historic play The Melting Pot, Israel Zangwill (1864–1926) introduced into our discourse a potent metaphor that for nearly a hundred years has served as a key definition of the United States. T
In this valuable contribution to Jewish studies, Nahshon (Hebrew, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York) addresses the question of what defines 'Jewish theatre' and its audience in her introduction to
This volume presents essays based on lectures presented at an international conference titled "Jews and Theater in an Intercultural World" held in 2008, in New York. In her preface, Nahson (performanc
Shoes are an integral part of Jewish material culture. Although they appear in some of the most foundational biblical stories, they are generally regarded as no more than lowly, albeit essential, acce
Shoes are an integral part of Jewish material culture. Although they appear in some of the most foundational biblical stories, they are generally regarded as no more than lowly, albeit essential, acce
