{"id":1036,"date":"2015-04-07T23:01:55","date_gmt":"2015-04-08T04:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=1036"},"modified":"2015-04-07T23:02:58","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T04:02:58","slug":"recreating-jewish-identity-in-the-postwar-era-is-fiddler-on-the-roof-jewish-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2015\/04\/07\/recreating-jewish-identity-in-the-postwar-era-is-fiddler-on-the-roof-jewish-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Recreating Jewish Identity in the postwar era: Is Fiddler on the Roof Jewish enough?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zero<\/a>

Zero Mostel and ensemble in the original Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof (1964)1<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

After World War II, American Jews felt an increase in security and prosperity. There was a general decline in anti-semitism and an increase in political power. In parallel, many Jews pushed to assimilate economically, culturally, and symbolically in America.2<\/sup><\/a> In the making of the 1964 musical,\u00a0initially investors,\u00a0particularly Jewish investors, feared the show would be considered \u201ctoo ethnic,\u201d meaning \u201ctoo Jewish.\u201d Later, with Rosie O\u2019Donnell starring in the 2004 Broadway revival, it wasn\u2019t Jewish enough.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The story focuses\u00a0on Tevye and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions, while outside influences encroach upon his family’s lives. He is forced to cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who marry for love instead of following the matchmaker, Yente’s choice. Each daughter’s husband moves further away from the customs of Tevye’s faith and the edict the Tsar has made that evicts Jews from their village.<\/p>\n

I find this storyline to be perfect for a postwar hit in line with the recreating of Jewish identity. Jews in America are no longer concerned with security and genocide, and therefore must come to terms with their faith–often questioning God, their faith, Jewish law as is seen in Tevye’s character.<\/p>\n

I think this is clearly seen by the opening song, Tradition, which explains the traditional roles and social classes in Anatevka and the villagers trying to continue their traditions and keep their society running as the world around them changes. This echoes the real-life struggle to reshape Jewish identity in the postwar era in America.<\/p>\n