Inaugurated in 1893, the Théâtre du Monument National was a bastion for Montreal Yiddish culture from the end of the 19th century through to the 1940s. Located in the heart of the Jewish immigrant district on St. Lawrence Boulevard near St. Catherine Street, the Monument National was built by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste as a center for popular education and the promotion of French Canadian culture. Nonetheless, the Société allowed Montreal’s Jewish community to rent the theatre’s main rehearsal hall until the late 1950s.
During this period, a massive influx of Jews from Eastern Europe enabled the emergence of Yiddish culture in Montreal. Jacob Gordin’s King Lear, an important work in the Jewish repertoire, premiered at the Monument National in 1897. Its triumphant success paved the way for the further development of Yiddish theatre at the Monument: over the next five decades, renowned North American actors took to its stage to perform such major works as Bar Kokhba by Goldfaden and Alexander, Prince of Jerusalemby Latteiner, as well as plays by Montreal authors. Although Montreal was the second-largest North American venue for Yiddish theatre, most productions presented at the Monument were imported from New York.
Following an initiative by Yiddish theatre director Louis Mitnik, the Monument National occasionally served as a place of worship as well, drawing large crowds for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur celebrations. Literary discussions and Zionist lectures were held in the institution’s main hall, as were Jewish political events of a nationalist nature.
The Monument National played a key role in the development of both French Canadian and Yiddish culture in Montreal. For Jewish immigrants, it was a place to meet, debate and learn about the community’s history, religion and culture. Montreal’s tradition of Yiddish-language theatre remains alive today thanks to the Yiddish Theatre founded by Dora Wasserman, which continues to present productions in Yiddish at the Segal Arts Centre.
Compiled by Valérie Beauchemin, translated by Helge Dascher.
Sources
Anctil, Pierre (2002), St-Laurent, la Main de Montreal, Sillery, Éditions du Septentrion.
Larrue, Jean-Marc (1996), Le theâtre yiddish à Montreal, Montreal, Éditions Jeu.
Medresh, Israël (1997), Le Montreal juif d’autrefois, Sillery, Éditions du Septentrion.
Rome, David et Jacques Langlais (1992), Les pierres qui parlent, Sillery, Éditions du Septentrion.
*Les images sont une gracieusete des Archives de la Bibliothèque publique juive de Montreal (JPL-A) et des Archives nationales du Congrès juif canadien, Comite des charites (CJCCCNA).
