The Jews of New York -- A WLIW production premiering  January 23rd  on New York Public Television
Fiddler on the Roof

In this clip, learn about Joseph Stein and Sheldon Harnick, the playwright and the lyricist of the quintessential Jewish American play. Both have impeccable show biz credentials dating back to the 1940’s – Stein was one of the first comedy writers on the legendary “Your Show of Shows” – and both are still remarkably active in the theater today. In this clip, they recall what it was like working with the astounding array of Jewish talent that converged on Manhattan in the heyday of the Broadway musical, and talk about the decision to create a play with overtly Jewish themes for a wide, mainstream audience. (In the mid sixties when the play opened, there were predictions it would flop because it was “too Jewish”). They also talk about how the play’s themes echo their own family histories.


Fiddler on the Roof
Hasidic Rabbi Haskel Besser
Mayor Ed Koch
The Descendants of Jacob Schiff
Mount Sinai Hospital
Three Generations of the Russ Family

The Russ Family on Slicing Lox
Rabbi Haskel Besser and Pre-War Germany
Sheldon Harnick, lyricist for FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

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