He is best known for his stories of Tevye the dairyman who became the central character in the popular Broadway show The Fiddler on the Roof, first produced in 1964. Sholom Aleichem means “peace be upon you.” Using that pen name, Rabinovich wrote in Yiddish, and Russian, and Hebrew, churning out 40 volumes of work, which made him famous in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. That fame and his skill as a storyteller helped him gain popularity in the U.S. as well. Though Rabinovich lived in New York only a few years, his funeral was one of the biggest of the time - with more than 100,000 people paying their respects in the streets of the city. The day after Rabinovich’s death, the New York Times published his will, which was also read into the U.S. Congressional record.
His fame and skill as a storyteller helped him gain popularity in the U.S. as well. Though Rabinovich lived in New York only a few years, his funeral was one of the biggest of the time - with more than 100,000 people paying their respects in the streets of the city. The day after Rabinovich’s death, the New York Times published his will, which was also read into the U.S. Congressional record.
A b/w photo of the writer Solomon Rabinovich, aka Sholem Aleichem, 1907 Image: Public Domain
“Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.”
-Ukrainian writer Solomon Rabinovich, better known as Sholem Aleichem, born on this day in 1859
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