Luba Kadison Buloff (December 13, 1906 – May 4, 2006) was a Lithuanian Jewish actress, active for decades in

Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satire, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodr ...

, in both Europe and the United States.

Early life

Luba Kadison was born in

Kovno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, Lithuania. She moved with her family to

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and then to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

while she was still in her teens. Her father, Leib Kadison, was a co-founder of the

Vilna Troupe The Vilna Troupe (; ; ; ), also known as Fareyn Fun Yiddishe Dramatishe Artistn (Federation of Yiddish Dramatic Actors) and later ''Dramă şi Comedie'', was an international and mostly Yiddish-speaking theatre, one of the most famous in the history ...

. From a young age, Luba Kadison was playing juvenile roles with the Vilna Troupe, and moved into female leads as she grew.Dennis Hevesi
"Luba Kadison, 99, an Actress in Yiddish Theatre's Heyday"
''New York Times'' (May 9, 2006): B7. While attending a drama school (her only formal education), she played a small role in the 1920 premiere of

S. Ansky Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (1863 – November 8, 1920), also known by his pen name S. An-sky, was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, polemicist, and cultural and political activist. He is best known for his play '' The ...

's ''

The Dybbuk ''The Dybbuk'', or ''Between Two Worlds'' (, trans. ''Mezh dvukh mirov ibuk'; , ''Tsvishn Tsvey Veltn – der Dibuk'') is a play by S. An-sky, authored between 1913 and 1916. It was originally written in Russian and later translated into Yidd ...

''.

Career

With the Vilna Troupe, Luba Kadison played the bride (the female lead) in ''The Dybbuk'', and starred in

Ossip Dimov Osip Dymov (Russian: Осип Дымов) is the central fictional character in the classic Russian story " The Grasshopper" (''Poprygunya''; 1892) by Anton Chekhov.Loehlin, James N. (2010). The Cambridge introduction to Chekhov'. Cambridge, UK ...

's ''Yoshke Muzicant'' (directed by her future husband

Joseph Buloff Joseph Buloff (December 6, 1899 – February 27, 1985) was a Jewish actor and director known for his work in Broadway theatre, Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He received the Itzik Manger Prize for contributions to Yiddish letters in 19 ...

). ''Yoshke Muzicant'' was a major success in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, drawing the attention of

Maurice Schwartz Maurice Schwartz, born Avram Moishe Schwartz (June 18, 1890 – May 10, 1960),Yiddish Art Theater The Yiddish Art Theatre was a Yiddish theatre company of the 20th century in New York City. The organization was founded in 1918 by actor and impresario Maurice Schwartz, to present serious Yiddish drama and works from world literature in Yiddis ...

in New York City. Both were fixtures in the Yiddish theatre scene in New York for many years after they arrived. They performed in South American tours in 1933 and 1940. She played the wife in a 1951 Yiddish adaptation of ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

''."Luba Kadison, 99; Last Survivor of Noted Yiddish Theater Troupe"
''Los Angeles Times'' (May 12, 2006). In 1954, she had a leading role in the Yiddish musical ''Wish Me Luck!'' In 1962, Luba Kadison and Helen Waren adapted three stories by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

for English performance. In 1970 Kadison adapted Singer's ''The Brothers Ashkenazi'', for a production starring and directed by her husband Joseph Buloff. The ''New York Times'' reviewer judged her adaptation pleasing, saying "Miss Kadison's Yiddish lines are flavorsome and supple." Luba Buloff also worked as a translator, and taught acting. In 1992, her memoirs written with Joseph Buloff, ''On Stage, Off Stage'', was published.Julia Pascal
"Luba Kadison"
''The Guardian'' (May 18, 2006).

Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib

Amidst the 1933–34 season, Luba Kadison achieved remarkable success, marking it as one of her most distinguished years. The premiere of ''Der Katerinshtshik (The Organ-grinder)'' by

Alexander Olshanetsky Alexander Olshanetsky (October 23, 1892 – June 3, 1946) was an American composer, conductor, and violinist. He was a major figure within the Yiddish theatre scene in New York City from the mid-1920s until his death in 1946. Biography Early ...

unfolded on the illustrious stage of the

Second Avenue Theater Village East by Angelika (also Village East, originally the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre, and formerly known by several other names) is a movie theater at 189 Second Avenue, on the corner with 12th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan in ...

in New York. Notably, in this production, Kadison shared the stage with renowned performers Julius Natanson and Annie Thomashefsky (

Boris Thomashefsky Boris Thomashefsky (, sometimes written Thomashevsky, Thomaschevsky, etc.; ) (1868–July 9, 1939), born Boruch-Aharon Thomashefsky, was a Ukrainian-born (later American) Jewish singer and actor who became one of the biggest stars in Yiddish th ...

's sister). A pivotal moment in Kadison's career emerged as she took on the role of the first performer of the iconic song penned by

Chaim Towber Chaim Shmuel Towber (''Tauber, Toyber'', , June 14, 1901, Mohyliv-Podilskyi — February 26, 1972, New York City) was an American and Canadian actor of Jewish-Ukrainian descent, best known as the author of the song "I Love You So Much" (Yiddish ...

, " Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib" ("I Love You So Much"). Her rendition garnered acclaim for its "taste and restraint," setting it apart from other productions at the Theater on Second Avenue. In the subsequent years, this song achieved widespread popularity among Jewish artists, transcending its initial theatrical context. Its recognition expanded beyond the confines of the Jewish community, becoming a cherished piece in the broader cultural landscape.

Personal life

Luba Kadison married fellow actor

by 1925, in

. They had a daughter, Barbara. Kadison was widowed when Joseph Buloff died in 1985. Luba Kadison died in 2006, at age 99. She was the last survivor from the Vilna Troupe. The papers of Joseph Buloff and Luba Kadison are archived at the

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research YIVO (, , short for ) is an organization that preserves, studies, and teaches the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia as well as orthography, lexicography, and other studies related to Yiddish. Establi ...

, in New York City.Guide to the Papers of Joseph Buloff (1899-1985) and Luba Kadison (1906-2006)
RG 1146, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research,

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...

References

External links

Sound clips of an oral history interview
given by Luba Kadison in the 1980s, at the Museum of Family History; with several photographs of Kadison.
Transcript of an oral history interview
given by Luba Kadison in 1978, at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

. *
Luba Kadison's listing on IBDB
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kadison, Luba 1906 births 2006 deaths Actors from Kaunas Polish emigrants to the United States Jewish American actresses Yiddish theatre performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women American Ashkenazi Jews