Golden Staff, The.
[Judaica]. Levinger, Elma Ehrlich. Ruth of Moab. A springtime play in one act. Cincinnati, OH: Department of Synagog and School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, (1923).
8vo.; brown printed wrappers, stapled; with four black-and-white costume illustrations; fine.
Together with:
Levinger, Elma Ehrlich. The Golden Staff. A Succoth Operetta. Cincinnati, OH: Department of Synagog and School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, (1923).
8vo.; brown printed wrappers, stapled; fine.
First editions of a play by Levinger and an operetta with text by Levinger and music by Samuel Goldfarb. Ruth of Moab is a dramatic retelling of the Old Testament story of Ruth, a widow who left her homeland of Moab to travel to Bethlehem with Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law. In a note to potential producers of the play, Levinger describes the work as “most suitable for an outdoor pageant play to be given at the end of the school year.” If the Sabbath School has advanced classes in Hebrew, Levinger recommends that the first and last scenes be translated into Hebrew and performed that way. The final pages contain costume illustrations and suggestions for how to drape fabric to create authentic-looking tunics.
The Golden Staff tells the story of Joseph, who as a young boy journeys with his mother and father to Jerusalem for the Succoth festival and then gets separated from them and is adopted by a childless older woman. At age 14, when Joseph is training to become a priest, his parents return and are able to identify him by the golden staff he carries, which was a childhood gift. In the producer’s note, Levinger explains the importance of having a large children’s chorus in the production and notes that the only set piece required is an altar. Four songs, with lyrics by Levinger and music by Goldfarb, appear in the back of the book: “The Staff Song” (sung by Joseph), “The Mother’s Song” (sung by Miriam), “The Harvest Song” (sung by the chorus), and “Chant Music” (played during the priests’ chant). OCLC locates two copies of Ruth of Moab; RLG locates only one. Neither database contains any records of other copies of The Golden Staff.
Elma Ehrlich Levinger (1887-1958) was born in Chicago and attended the University of Chicago. Upon graduating, she was awarded a fellowship to study drama at Radcliffe College, where she penned a number of award-winning Biblical plays, most notably Jephthah’s Daughter (New York: Samuel French, 1921). Eventually, Levinger shifted her focus to writing children’s biographies of historical figures, including Albert Einstein and Galileo. The Golden Staff was her only collaboration with Goldfarb.
Samuel Goldfarb (1891-1978), the “father of Jewish music in America,” was born on the Lower East Side of New York City to a musical family. He studied music at Columbia University and with his brother, Rabbi Israel Goldfarb, composed hundreds of songs, many of which are still sung in Jewish schools around the country. In 1925 the Goldfarb brothers compiled the first American collection of Jewish songs, The Jewish Songster (Brooklyn, NY: Religious Schools of Congregation Beth Israel A.E., 1918). Goldfarb’s most famous song is “The Dreidel,” which is sung during Chanukah by children throughout the world. From 1930-1968, Goldfarb acted as music director for Temple de Hirsch in Seattle, where he directed numerous choirs and served as the organist. He died in Seattle in 1978.
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