A Tale of Two Museums
Ester Rachel Kaminska Theater Museum Collection

The Death of Esther Rachel Kaminska

Box 74 Condolence026.jpg

Title

The Death of Esther Rachel Kaminska

Description

In My Life, My Theater, Ida Kaminska writes movingly about her mother's failing health and their final performance together shortly before Esther-Rachel died. In the play, Jacob Gordin's Mirele Efros, Esther-Rachel played Mirele and Ida,  her daughter-in-law Sheyndele:

During the second act I had to say to Mirele (that is, to my mother), "Do you think a person can live forever?" but I could not utter the final part of the question. I got as far as "Do you think..." but the rest of the line remained stuck in my throat, Seeing this, my mother did not let me finish and replied, "I know what you mean. Don't worry. I know that a person cannot live forever." At the end of the act my mother embraced me: "My poor sweetheart, you couldn't say those words. But don't worry. Everything is all right, and I feel well."

This was Esther-Rachel's final performance: she died from cancer at the age 56 in December 1925. The news of her death brought forth a flood of emotions in Poland, as expressed in this particularly elaborate hand-written and illuminated note of sympathy:

The Vlatslavek Handworkers' Union
Presented in commemoration of Esther-Rachel Kaminska, as arranged by the Vlatslavek Dramatic Union

No more is Esther-Rachel Kaminska, Mother of the Yiddish Theater. She fought for the people, She created (art) for the people and She died for the people. 

Your monument is the love of Yiddish theater that you planted in the productive Jewish masses.

After she died, a death mask was made of her face, as was the fashion among celebrities. Her body was buried in Warsaw's Jewish cemetery with an elaborate monument created by the accomplished Jewish sculptor Joseph Rubinlicht. Only the gravestone of the great Yiddish writer Y.L. Peretz was bigger.

Rights

YIVO owns the compilation of content that is posted on this website, which consists of text, images, and/or audio, and video. However, YIVO does not necessarily own each component of the compilation. Some content is in the public domain and some content is protected by third party rights. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in YIVO websites.

The materials on this web site may be used for personal, research and educational purposes only. Publication (including posting on the Internet and online exhibitions) or any other use without prior authorization is prohibited. Please visit https://www.yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions for more information about use of materials from this website.

YIVO has employed due diligence in seeking to identify copyright holders of the materials in this compilation. We invite any copyright owners who are not properly identified to contact us at yivomail@yivo.cjh.org.

Citation

“The Death of Esther Rachel Kaminska,” YIVO Online Exhibitions, accessed March 28, 2024, https://ataleoftwomuseums.yivo.org/items/show/2167.
Submit a transcription, translation or additional information on the song or the performer