Osip Mikhailovich Lerner
Encyclopedia
Osip Mikhailovich Lerner was a 19th century Russia
n Jewish intellectual and lawyer. Originally a maskil—a propagator of the Haskala, or "Jewish Enlightenment"—he later converted to Christianity
and wrote a book denouncing Jews. [Adler, 1999, 200]
In 1881, shortly after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II
, Lerner leased the Mariinsky Theater in Odessa
, Ukraine
(then part of Imperial Russia) to present Yiddish theater. He first presented plays by N.M. Sheikevitch and Moshe Leib Lilienblum
, then was the first to present classic European theater in Yiddish, translating the material but not radically altering it or adding songs. He was the first to present Yiddish-language productions of Karl Gutzkow
's Uriel Acosta and Eugène Scribe
's La Juive. Jacob Adler
, in his memoir, remarks that "both were works on Jewish subjects and both were in the repertoire of every important European stage of the time." [Adler, 1999, 200]
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jewish intellectual and lawyer. Originally a maskil—a propagator of the Haskala, or "Jewish Enlightenment"—he later converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and wrote a book denouncing Jews. [Adler, 1999, 200]
In 1881, shortly after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
, Lerner leased the Mariinsky Theater in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(then part of Imperial Russia) to present Yiddish theater. He first presented plays by N.M. Sheikevitch and Moshe Leib Lilienblum
Moshe Leib Lilienblum
Moshe Leib Lilienblum was a Jewish scholar and author born at Keidany, Kovno, October 22, 1843. From his father he learned the calculation of the course of the stars in their relation to the Hebrew calendar . At the age of thirteen he organized a society of boys for the study of En Ya'aqob Moshe...
, then was the first to present classic European theater in Yiddish, translating the material but not radically altering it or adding songs. He was the first to present Yiddish-language productions of Karl Gutzkow
Karl Gutzkow
Karl Ferdinand Gutzkow was a German writer notable in the Young Germany movement of the mid-19th century.-Life:...
's Uriel Acosta and Eugène Scribe
Eugène Scribe
Augustin Eugène Scribe , was a French dramatist and librettist. He is best known for the perfection of the so-called "well-made play" . This dramatic formula was a mainstay of popular theater for over 100 years.-Biography:...
's La Juive. Jacob Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler , born Yankev P. Adler, was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and New York City....
, in his memoir, remarks that "both were works on Jewish subjects and both were in the repertoire of every important European stage of the time." [Adler, 1999, 200]