A Message from Arnold Mittelman After a career in not-for-profit and commercial theater spanning more than 40 years I was honored in 2007 to found the National Jewish Theater / Foundation and in 2010 to assume leadership of its Holocaust Theater International...
My Grandfather’s Prayers
Author(s): Lisa Sturz
My Grandfather’s Prayers is a theatrical production based on the life of Cantor Izso Glickstein (1890–1947), a Jewish Ukrainian prodigy who finds his way to Boston where his powerful golden voice expresses the passion and determination of a people holding on to faith and tradition through the violent diaspora of the twentieth century. Izso’s remarkable story is told from the point of view of his granddaughter, Lisa Sturz, a professional puppeteer exploring her own Jewish ancestry, artistry, spirituality, and responsibility. Lisa uses shadow puppets, scrolling backgrounds, mixed media, and poetry to connect with her Jewish past through the extant recordings of her renowned grandfather.
Format: Full-length multi-media (intended for adults and older teens and includes a facilitated discussion)
Cast Size:2 puppeteers
Notes:
Izso Glickstein’s life journey started in the Ukraine during the time of the pogroms, spanned both World Wars, and ended up in Boston where he was an early influence on Leonard Bernstein.
Snapshot
Original or Prominent Production:
June 17, 2017 at the Jewish Community Center in Asheville, NC.
June 17, 2017 at the Jewish Community Center in Asheville, NC.
Original Source Material: Family photos, interviews, and clippings.
Nationality of Author: U.S.
Original Language: English
Production Rights Holder:
Contact Lisa Sturz via the Red Herring Puppets website.
Experience(s) Chronicled: European Jewry Before the Holocaust
HTC Insights
Views, reference and research of interest.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The National Jewish Theater Foundation presented its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award to Alfred Uhry. The presentation took place as part of the Lincoln Center Library event on January 27th 2025 in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
Lifetime Achievement Award
On September 30, 2024, French playwright, Mr. Jean Claude Grumberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was presented by NJTF HTII President, Arnold Mittelman with Dominique Trimbur, PhD-Manager for the History of Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Teaching of the Holocaust of Fondation Pour La Memoir de la Shoah Project.