Scripting Survival

In Cold War Romania, the Jewish State Theater in Bucharest (TES) was a site for high-stakes cultural negotiations. While the state used the theater to consolidate Yiddish stagecraft into a tool for state propaganda, a more nuanced story unfolded behind the scenes: TES was also a vehicle for preserving and advancing Yiddish culture within the confines of a socialist state. This book focuses on five commemorative volumes published between 1956 and 1976 by editors who were Shoah survivors—individuals uniquely torn between their passion for Yiddish culture and the communist ideal. By analyzing these volumes, the study reveals the hidden ideological tensions and cultural ambitions embedded within the theater's operations and provides a rare window into the struggle to maintain a distinctive Jewish identity while navigating the rigid political realities of the time. It is a compelling look at the editorial strategies used to safeguard a vanishing heritage.