I woke this morning to news that Joseph Stein, the award-winning author of the wonderful musical, Fiddler on the Roof and more than a dozen other Broadway shows, died in Manhattan at the age of 98.
Fiddler on the Roof, which was also made into a film, was based on Sholem Aleichem’s short stories about Tevye, a Jewish milkman and his family who face terrifying change in a small Russian village in 1905, opened on Broadway in 1964. It starred the Israeli actor, Topol who played Tevye, became Broadway's longest running show, and has been performed throughout the world.
I remember taking your father, together with his step-brother Martin, to a revival of the show on Broadway in 2005. It was as enjoyable then as it was when I first saw it as a child.
This touching story provides a salutory reminder of our humble roots. Most of us come from such working class, rural backgrounds in the back and beyond of Russia, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Our ancestors retained their identities as Jews becuase of their strong attachment to their tradtions as well as a deep faith. Tevye, who was an orthodox Jew, had his values seriously challenged by his daughter who wanted to marry a man without getting her father's permission.
Throughout this exraordinary moving tale, we see some of the more old-fashioned Jewish customs being questioned by the younger generation. While both father and daughter loved each other, they struggled to come to terms with their differant perspectives on the modern world. There is a strong lesson in this for all of us. While it is important for us to respect our parents views, we should never feel an obligation to follow them blindly. The world would never have move forward if our way of looking at the world didn't evolve.
My dear Yael, as you grow up, you will develop your own opinions that won't always concur with those of your parents. Your father and I have always had healthy debates and disagree on a range of issues. Fundamentally, we share similar values. I am deeply committed to my Jewish identity and am so happy that my children have carried this forward. I don't always agree with their level of orthodoxy, and maybe you will have some problems with this as well. But it is an honour and a priviledge to be Jewish, and my faith and identity are absolutely central to my life.
Like Tzeitel, Tevye's oldest daughter, who rejected the man who the matchmaker had in mind as her husband in favour of her childhood sweethood, you should make up your own mind. Never ignore your parents advice, but in the end you must follow your heart.
Between memorable songs like “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Tradition,” .Stein’s brilliant dialogue had its own kind of poetry, with Tevye having frequent discussions with God. It's packed with wonderful Jewish philosphy and humour. Just before the show’s first big number, Tevye speaks to God: “I realize, of course, that it’s no shame to be poor.....but it’s no great honour either.”
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
