Jewish Characters on Broadway

On Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10-11:30 a.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a program and social time. The morning’s events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

Following the service, Or Emet member Arty Dorman will present “When Jews Began to Play Themselves on Broadway.” It is commonly known that many, if not most, of the composers, lyricists and book writers who created Broadway musicals as far back as the 1920s were Jewish. However, the shows they sent to producers and that the public embraced, did not, for many years, include stories of Jewish life or significant Jewish characters.  

Dorman will present examples of the turning point in that trend, highlighting shows from the early 1960s, including “I Can Get It for You Wholesale,” “Milk and Honey,” “Funny Girl,” “The Zulu and the Zayda” and, the biggest game-changer of all, “Fiddler on the Roof.”  

Dorman is a theater aficionado and the Twin Cities critic for “Talkin’ Broadway.” He is a former director of Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School. 

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective. For more information about Or Emet, email [email protected] or visit oremet.org.