Sonya Adler
Encyclopedia
Sonya Adler (died 1886), born Sonya Oberlander, early stage name Sonya Michelson, was one of the first women to perform in Yiddish theater in Imperial Russia. She later was the first wife of actor Jacob Adler
, with whom she relocated to London
in 1883 after Yiddish theater was banned in Russia.
A Jew from Odessa
, Ukraine
, she was from a genteel family, descended from Jews from the Courland
(now Latvia
). Jacob Adler, in his memoir, remarks that at the time he met her, she was a student at the University of Odessa, who, like him, spoke Yiddish and Russian
, but also spoke much better German
than he, and also excellent French
. He adds that "like all the best young people of the day" she was a nihilist
, a "serious young student and revolutionary
", and that her (and her family's) passion for theater, and their vision of what Yiddish theater could become, kept him in the profession through the difficult early years of his career as an actor.
Her debut as a professional actress (Odessa, 1878) was in the title role of Abraham Goldfaden
's darkly comic operetta
Breindele Cossack
, in the troupe of Israel Rosenberg
, the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia; at first she played opposite Jacob Spivakovsky, but she pulled strings so that Jacob Adler, to whom she was already close at the time, would get the role. The next few years of theatrical touring had their ups and downs; initially, so did her relationship with Adler, but they married in Poltova in 1880. For greater detail on this troupe and its travels, see Israel Rosenberg
.
The February 1881 assassination of Tsar Alexander II
was calamitous for the Jews of Russia, for Yiddish theater, and for the Adlers. At that time, the Adlers were in Goldfaden's troupe, and had been expecting soon to play in Saint Petersburg
. The mourning for the tsar meant there would be no performances in the capital; in addition the political climate of Russia turned sharply against the Jews. Goldfaden's troupe soldiered on for a time—to Minsk
, to Bobruisk where they played mainly to Russian soldiers, and to Vitebsk
, where Jacob and the pregnant Sonya had to sue Goldfaden for their pay, and left to rejoin Rosenberg, playing in a tent theater in Nezhin. However, their fortunes soon proved even worse: provocateurs were traveling around the empire, stirring up pogrom
s, one of which soon swept through Nezhin. The troupe managed to avoid bodily harm by partly by convincing the rioters that they were a French
theater troupe and partly by making judicious use of the money the Adlers had won in court from Goldfaden. [Adler, 1999, 172, 179-189, 192-197]
After a few more months of continuing to perform in Łódź and Zhytomyr
, Sonya returned to her parents house in Odessa to give birth to her daughter Rivkah (Rebecca), who later died in London at the age of 3. [Adler, 1999, 197, 216] Sonya, too, died in London, from an infection contracted while giving birth to her second child, Abram ("Abe") Adler, in 1886.
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....
, with whom she relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1883 after Yiddish theater was banned in Russia.
A Jew from 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...
, she was from a genteel family, descended from Jews from the Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
(now Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
). Jacob Adler, in his memoir, remarks that at the time he met her, she was a student at the University of Odessa, who, like him, spoke Yiddish and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, but also spoke much better German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
than he, and also excellent French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He adds that "like all the best young people of the day" she was a nihilist
Nihilist movement
The Nihilist movement was a Russian movement in the 1860s which rejected all authorities. It is derived from the Latin word "nihil", which means "nothing"...
, a "serious young student and revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
", and that her (and her family's) passion for theater, and their vision of what Yiddish theater could become, kept him in the profession through the difficult early years of his career as an actor.
Her debut as a professional actress (Odessa, 1878) was in the title role of Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden ; was an Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in the languages Yiddish and Hebrew, author of some 40 plays.Goldfaden is considered the father of the Jewish modern theatre.In 1876 he founded in...
's darkly comic operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
Breindele Cossack
Breindele Cossack
Breindele Cossack is a darkly comic 1887 Yiddish-language play by Abraham Goldfaden, generally accounted one of the best of his early works. The title character is a woman who, at the start of the play, has already driven five husbands to suicide...
, in the troupe of Israel Rosenberg
Israel Rosenberg
Israel Rosenberg founded the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia....
, the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia; at first she played opposite Jacob Spivakovsky, but she pulled strings so that Jacob Adler, to whom she was already close at the time, would get the role. The next few years of theatrical touring had their ups and downs; initially, so did her relationship with Adler, but they married in Poltova in 1880. For greater detail on this troupe and its travels, see Israel Rosenberg
Israel Rosenberg
Israel Rosenberg founded the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia....
.
The February 1881 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...
was calamitous for the Jews of Russia, for Yiddish theater, and for the Adlers. At that time, the Adlers were in Goldfaden's troupe, and had been expecting soon to play in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The mourning for the tsar meant there would be no performances in the capital; in addition the political climate of Russia turned sharply against the Jews. Goldfaden's troupe soldiered on for a time—to Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, to Bobruisk where they played mainly to Russian soldiers, and to Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
, where Jacob and the pregnant Sonya had to sue Goldfaden for their pay, and left to rejoin Rosenberg, playing in a tent theater in Nezhin. However, their fortunes soon proved even worse: provocateurs were traveling around the empire, stirring up pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s, one of which soon swept through Nezhin. The troupe managed to avoid bodily harm by partly by convincing the rioters that they were a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
theater troupe and partly by making judicious use of the money the Adlers had won in court from Goldfaden. [Adler, 1999, 172, 179-189, 192-197]
After a few more months of continuing to perform in Łódź and Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, Sonya returned to her parents house in Odessa to give birth to her daughter Rivkah (Rebecca), who later died in London at the age of 3. [Adler, 1999, 197, 216] Sonya, too, died in London, from an infection contracted while giving birth to her second child, Abram ("Abe") Adler, in 1886.