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Yiddish Theater World Mourns Late Star
Mina Bern remembered for her talent, killer chicken soup
The New York Times has a great report from Chelsea’s Moonstruck Diner yesterday, where luminaries of what remains of Yiddish theater gathered to remember star Mina Bern, who died Sunday at age 98 (more or less). From the piece:
“It’s the end of an era,” said Corey Breier, president of the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance. “Mina was the last European star of the Yiddish theater still working. She was the last connection, so it’s a real loss.” … Even into her 90s, Ms. Bern was known for rattling off lusty tales and bawdy songs and for cooking the best chicken soup on the Lower East Side. And she insisted on speaking Yiddish almost always and on expanding her speaking parts in scripts whenever possible.
Among those the Times interviewed is Shane Baker, one of the Yiddish theater world’s youngest and least Jewish (he grew up Episcopalian) members. Marissa Brostoff profiled Baker for Tablet Magazine last month.
Mina Bern, Matriarch of Yiddish Theater, Recalled Fondly [NYT]
Related: The Ventriloquist [Tablet Magazine]
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