National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Bids Fond Farewell to Fyvush Finkel

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has just sent out the following letter in remembrance of Fyvush Finkel, who passed away over the weekend.

"He was close to our hearts and he will remain ever so. The legendary theater and television star Fyvush Finkel, died in his home early Sunday morning, August 14. His many colleagues at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene mark his passing with deep affection and reverence.

"A vital and vibrant link to the heyday of the Yiddish theatre in New York, Fyvush was by his own admission, the oldest living Yiddish theatre star in New York. He began his acting career when he was 9, in 1931.

"Fyvush was planning on visiting the Off-Broadway smash "The Golden Bride" on Thursday August 18, at the 2pm matinee. The Emmy-winning actor (Picket Fences) was a few months old when this musical by Joseph Rumshinsky was a hit on Second Avenue. He had planned to visit the cast backstage and do a walk-on to bless the production.

"This gesture was hardly unique for Fyvush and certainly not out-of-character. He was constantly on stage, and constantly helping organizations close to his heart like Folksbiene. He performed his variety vaudeville show with his sons Ian and Elliott, for two nights in July at The Barrington Stage, and in March they commanded the stage for two sold-out nights at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan.

"For Folksbiene he made countless appearances, including his critically acclaimed run of 'Fyvush Finkel Live!' which earned him a 2011 Drama Desk nomination for outstanding musical revue. In January 2007 he and his good friend, the legendary folk singer and actor Theodore Bikel sold out Symphony Space for a staged reading of Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys" in Yiddish. In December 2013 he appeared again with Bikel at Symphony Space in what turned out to be Bikel's last public appearance in New York. (see link below.)

"Bryna Wasserman, the executive director of The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene notes, 'We have lost a dear, dear friend, really the oldest living link to the the Yiddish theatre in its heyday. But through his generosity he shared his art and his craft and his jokes with countless young people over the years. So much so that we know that what he learned as a child star, then as a great vaudevillian and then as a beloved character actor on television will get carried on for the future.'

"Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek added, 'Fyvush Finkel was iconic, he lived and breathed New York and New York theatre. No matter whether he performed in Yiddish in countless comedies, or in English in "Fiddler," "Café Crown" or in "Little Shop of Horrors," this was a true original, a piece of New York cultural history, a building block for what makes New York the great theatre town it is.'

"'We look forward to dedicating our performances to Fyvush this week, especially Thursday, the day he was planning to be with us,' says Executive Producer Chris Massimine. 'He was a few months old when "The Golden Bride" first made audiences smile at David Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre. Fyvush Finkel made people around him smile for 93 years.'

"Fyvush Finkel will continue to make us smile, as we remember his boundless generosity good nature, charm and humor."

The NY Times Critic's Pick "The Golden Bride" finishes its eight-week encore engagement at The Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, on Sunday August 28. For more information, visit www.nytf.org.

Photo by Rivka Katvan