Ari Fuhrman

Partial Transcript: My name is Ari Fuhrman. I was born in Romania—that time was Romania. A little town that’s called Czernowitz.

Partial Transcript: Ari describes his father’s work as a women’s tailor and his aspirations for Ari to succeed in music. He details his early attempts at learning various instruments.

Partial Transcript: He had a mandolin there, so I started to play the mandolin because the grip of it is almost the same like a violin.

Partial Transcript: Detailed experiences during the Holocaust, including the establishment and life in the ghetto, the experience in concentration camps, and testimonies given at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.

Partial Transcript: In 1941, Ari recounts how the Nazis forcibly relocated his Jewish community into a ghetto using propaganda to falsely promise better conditions. Ari and his family were deported to a concentration camp, where he endured two and a half years of suffering.

Partial Transcript: In the Transnistria concentration camp, where Romanian authorities deported Jews, Ari survived typhoid fever and harsh conditions, ultimately saving his life by joining a Russian military orchestra with his flute.

Partial Transcript: Post-war experiences returning to Czernowitz, crossing into Romania, settling in Timișoara, and eventually immigrating to the United States. He covers his education and career in dentistry and involvement in Yiddish theatre.

Partial Transcript: Ari elaborates on his experiences and roles in Yiddish theatre post-war, mentioning various plays, actors, and the broader impact of the Yiddish theatre movement.

Partial Transcript: Ari explains how he gained experience through various Yiddish plays and dramas, and later continued his involvement in Yiddish theatre after moving to the United States.

Partial Transcript: Ari was based in Philadelphia. He goes ahead to narrate their performance at Miami Beach High School and other venues for two years with the support of the Workmen’s Circle.

Partial Transcript: Ari describes the cinema theatre as a coal mine due to its conditions. It attracted large crowds by offering $0.50 tickets to fill seats for Yiddish films with English subtitles, showcasing a combination of movies and shows.

Partial Transcript: Ari talks about the theatre, which had a large capacity but unused balcony, fluctuating ticket prices, and long hours for performances—leading to comparisons with coal mines due to the grueling schedule and conditions.

Partial Transcript: Explains that they performed three shows a day, seven days a week. It left actors barely seeing daylight, with the schedule allowing them to present only half of the planned show while Leon Schachter and Gittel provided additional skits and cost-saving acts.

Partial Transcript: Shares the love that the audience had for their show. They were applauding and laughing with immense enjoyment.

Partial Transcript: Reflects on their performance at Miami Beach High School in 1981, drawing a full house. He also talks about past racial segregation that prevented some from attending.

Partial Transcript: Ari talks about YIVO in New York which actively hosted events and speakers. He frequently recorded their activities, including banquets and performances.

Partial Transcript: Ari’s experiences in Miami Beach, participating in and observing the Yiddish cultural scene. He recounts the decline of Yiddish theatre in New York and its flourishing in Miami due to the dense Yiddish-speaking population.

Partial Transcript: Shares jokes about Flamingo Park’s crime, including a policeman joking about needing someone to walk with him and a bandit joke involving a man offering his wife in exchange for his life.

Partial Transcript: Explains that Yiddish theatre declined in New York as many elderly Yiddish-speaking Jews moved to warmer Florida—where the theatre thrived due to a continued demand among the community there.

Partial Transcript: Describes how Yiddish literature and songs are invaluable cultural treasures that, if lost, deprive future generations of their rich legacy—as seen in the renewed interest and enjoyment among young people discovering these old songs.

Partial Transcript: Explains that Yiddish songs have been a lifelong presence for him, deeply intertwined with his personal history and cultural identity—and their continued performance and translation connect both Yiddish speakers and non-speakers to this heritage.

Partial Transcript: Reflects on his performance in 1996 as part of a diverse international group celebrating Yiddish theatre, participating in short subject theatre and receiving a commemorative medal.

Partial Transcript: Describes how Romania’s Yiddish theatre flourished under communist support as a tool to improve the country’s image—with influential figures like Rabbi Rosen and ongoing municipal sustaining its vibrant tradition despite historical anti-Semitism.

Partial Transcript: Talks about the Workmen’s Circle in Miami Beach that held regular Yiddish cultural meetings in small venues, reflecting a vibrant but now transformed Yiddish cultural scene.

Partial Transcript: Explains that in South Florida’s gated communities, there is limited Yiddish cultural activity, with fewer practitioners remaining, and the Hebrew Actors Union’s legacy still influencing the field.

Partial Transcript: Explains why students should learn Yiddish to connect with their heritage and preserve their cultural identity, much like other communities like Ukrainians and Chinese maintain their languages and traditions.

Partial Transcript: Ari left Miami Beach to move to Century Village where he saw an opportunity to continue Yiddish cultural activities amid a supportive community. He concludes by describing how he adapted his shows to blend Yiddish and English, creating a unique format that has garnered appreciation from diverse audiences.