Pesach Burstein
Encyclopedia
Pesach "Peishachke" Burstein (April 15, 1896 – April 6, 1986), born in Warsaw, was an Israel
i-American
comedian, singer, coupletist, and director of Yiddish
vaudeville
/theater. His wife Lillian Lux
, and son Mike Burstyn are also actors.
, he was raised in Berdiansk
. He ran away from home as a teenager to join a traveling Yiddish theatrical troupe. He was arrested as a spy by Russians during World War I
. He never again saw his parents, who were murdered in a pogrom
. He toured extensively through Eastern Europe before World War II.
, he is well-remembered for singing "Odessa Mama
" and the Yiddish version of "Sonny Boy
". There is a common myth that this recording was made same day, in the same studio and with the same orchestra that Jolson had just used, but it must be noted that the Burstein waxing was made some time after the million-selling Jolson recording. In addition, Jolson was an exclusive Brunswick artist, whilst Burstein recorded for Columbia, on its Green Label ethnic series. Jolson was accompanied by the Brunswick studio orchestra, under the direction of Gus Haenschen. The (considerably smaller) studio orchestra accompanying Burstein was probably a sub-group of the National Theater pit orchestra, under the baton of Joseph Rumshinsky. An impressive stage whistler
and actor-director of the popular A Khasene in Shtetl
(A Wedding in the Village) act with his entire family.
He married twice, secondly to Lillian Lux
, 22 years his junior. In 1939, the couple was touring Poland
. Since there was unrest at the time, a member of the diplomatic corps suggested the Bersteins take the summer off from performances; they left for the United States just days before the German invasion. The troupe was sponsored by Boris Thomashefsky
to play on the Upper East Side
Yiddish theatres on Manhattan
's Second Avenue
.
Pesach and Lillian Burstein had twins, Michael and Susan (b. 1945). Michael Burstein became an actor, known professionally as Mike Burstyn. When the twins turned 7, they began performing in The Komediant
, A Khasene in Shtetl
(A Wedding in the Village) and other Yiddish-language productions all over the world, although Susan did not remain in the acting business. The family also performed extensively in the Borscht Belt
. Pesach Burstein opened his own theater ("The Hopkinson") in Brooklyn
. His troupe (advertised as the Four Bursteins, the twins appearing under the stage names Motele and Zisele) won critical acclaim in Israel and on Broadway for performing Itzik Manger
's Megille Lider, the longest running Yiddish production to date in Israel, released on Broadway as Megilla of Itzik Manger.
After the Holocaust, due to a drastic reduction in the size of the Yiddish audience, he was instrumental in finding out diasporic communities as far afield as South America
, and East Europe, as well as Israel
. He initially settled in Israel but later left due to the state tax levied on Yiddish theater for promotion of the Hebrew language
, and problems with authorities.
, starring his son. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, director Arnon Goldfinger directed a documentary film
about the lives and careers of the Burstein family -The Komediant
, named after Burstein's career and being the name of one of his shows.
in Yiddish, and Pesach-ke Burstein was so named because he was born on the day of Passover
in 1896; he died a few hours before Passover
in 1986, a week and two days short of his 90th birthday. He was interred in the Yiddish Theater section (Block 67) of the Mount Hebron Cemetery
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian, singer, coupletist, and director of Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
/theater. His wife Lillian Lux
Lillian Lux
Lillian Lux was an Israeli-American singer, author, songwriter and actor in Yiddish theater and Yiddish vaudeville in the United States, Israel and other Yiddish speaking communities in the diaspora.-Life and career:...
, and son Mike Burstyn are also actors.
Early years
Born as Pesach-ke Burstein due to his birth on PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, he was raised in Berdiansk
Berdiansk
Berdyansk is a port city in the Zaporizhia Oblast of south-east Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Berdyansky Raion , the city itself is directly subordinate to the oblast, and is located on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.The current estimated population is around 125,000...
. He ran away from home as a teenager to join a traveling Yiddish theatrical troupe. He was arrested as a spy by Russians during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He never again saw his parents, who were murdered in a 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...
. He toured extensively through Eastern Europe before World War II.
United States
Brought to the United States in 1923 by Boris Thomashefsky and signed to a 20 year recording contract by Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, he is well-remembered for singing "Odessa Mama
Odessa Mama (song)
For the disambiguation page and the term Odessa Mama used to reference the city, see Odessa Mama Odessa Mama is a Yiddish song of Ukrainian origin, which enjoyed popularity in numerous East European countries, as well as the United States before the Holocaust...
" and the Yiddish version of "Sonny Boy
Sonny Boy (song)
"Sonny Boy" is a song written by Ray Henderson, Bud De Sylva, and Lew Brown. The hyper-sentimental tearjerker was featured in the 1928 talkie The Singing Fool. Sung by Al Jolson, the 1928 recording was a hit and stayed at #1 for 12 weeks in the charts and was a million seller...
". There is a common myth that this recording was made same day, in the same studio and with the same orchestra that Jolson had just used, but it must be noted that the Burstein waxing was made some time after the million-selling Jolson recording. In addition, Jolson was an exclusive Brunswick artist, whilst Burstein recorded for Columbia, on its Green Label ethnic series. Jolson was accompanied by the Brunswick studio orchestra, under the direction of Gus Haenschen. The (considerably smaller) studio orchestra accompanying Burstein was probably a sub-group of the National Theater pit orchestra, under the baton of Joseph Rumshinsky. An impressive stage whistler
Whistling
Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
and actor-director of the popular A Khasene in Shtetl
A Khasene in Shtetl
A Khasene in Shtetl A Khasene in Shtetl A Khasene in Shtetl (Yiddish for A Wedding in the Village / A Village Wedding, also called A Shtetl Wedding / A Wedding in the Shtetl, Yiddish: אַ חתונה אין שטעטל (סעגיל-װאָל) is a Yiddish musical theater play written by William Sigal, and often directed and...
(A Wedding in the Village) act with his entire family.
He married twice, secondly to Lillian Lux
Lillian Lux
Lillian Lux was an Israeli-American singer, author, songwriter and actor in Yiddish theater and Yiddish vaudeville in the United States, Israel and other Yiddish speaking communities in the diaspora.-Life and career:...
, 22 years his junior. In 1939, the couple was touring Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Since there was unrest at the time, a member of the diplomatic corps suggested the Bersteins take the summer off from performances; they left for the United States just days before the German invasion. The troupe was sponsored by Boris Thomashefsky
Boris Thomashefsky
Boris Thomashefsky was a Ukrainian-born Jewish singer and actor who became one of the biggest stars in Yiddish theatre; born in Tarashcha , a shtetl near Kiev, Ukraine, he emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12 in 1881...
to play on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
Yiddish theatres on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Second Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
.
Pesach and Lillian Burstein had twins, Michael and Susan (b. 1945). Michael Burstein became an actor, known professionally as Mike Burstyn. When the twins turned 7, they began performing in The Komediant
The Komediant (show)
The Komediant was a Yiddish theater act produced by the Pesach Burstein troupe, and was performed to Jewish diaspora audiences all around the world. It was on the stage of The Komediant that Pesach Burstein met and ultimately married his second wife Lillian Lux...
, A Khasene in Shtetl
A Khasene in Shtetl
A Khasene in Shtetl A Khasene in Shtetl A Khasene in Shtetl (Yiddish for A Wedding in the Village / A Village Wedding, also called A Shtetl Wedding / A Wedding in the Shtetl, Yiddish: אַ חתונה אין שטעטל (סעגיל-װאָל) is a Yiddish musical theater play written by William Sigal, and often directed and...
(A Wedding in the Village) and other Yiddish-language productions all over the world, although Susan did not remain in the acting business. The family also performed extensively in the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
. Pesach Burstein opened his own theater ("The Hopkinson") in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. His troupe (advertised as the Four Bursteins, the twins appearing under the stage names Motele and Zisele) won critical acclaim in Israel and on Broadway for performing Itzik Manger
Itzik Manger
Itzik Manger was a prominent Yiddish poet and playwright, a self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, and ‘master tailor’ of the written word...
's Megille Lider, the longest running Yiddish production to date in Israel, released on Broadway as Megilla of Itzik Manger.
After the Holocaust, due to a drastic reduction in the size of the Yiddish audience, he was instrumental in finding out diasporic communities as far afield as South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and East Europe, as well as Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He initially settled in Israel but later left due to the state tax levied on Yiddish theater for promotion of the Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and problems with authorities.
Later years
Pesach Burstein performed a small role in the Israel Becker-directed movie Shnei Kuni LemlShnei Kuni Leml
The Flying Matchmaker is a 1966 Israeli film musical directed by Israel Becker. The film was the first major success on screen for lead actor Mike Burstyn who has a double role as Kuni Leml and his cousin Max, and also casts his father Pesach Burstein in a small role...
, starring his son. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, director Arnon Goldfinger directed a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the lives and careers of the Burstein family -The Komediant
The Komediant (documentary)
The Komediant is an Israeli documentary film of 2000 directed by Arnon Goldfinger which recalls the life, and careers of the Burstein family of Yiddish theatre: Pesach Burstein, his wife Lillian Lux, his son Mike Burstyn and daughter Susan Burstein-Roth...
, named after Burstein's career and being the name of one of his shows.
Autobiography
His autobiography, What a Life!, was co-authored with his wife in Yiddish (Geshpilt a Lebn, 1980) and later translated into English.Other
Pesach means PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
in Yiddish, and Pesach-ke Burstein was so named because he was born on the day of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
in 1896; he died a few hours before Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
in 1986, a week and two days short of his 90th birthday. He was interred in the Yiddish Theater section (Block 67) of the Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron is a Jewish cemetery located in the Flushing neighborhood of New York City. It was founded in 1903 as the Jewish section of Cedar Grove Cemetery. It is noted for its Yiddish theater section....
.