Chayela Rosenthal – Wunderkind of the Vilna Ghetto Theatre is the fascinating story of Chayela Rosenthal that unfolds in a multi-layered exhibition and programme of events at the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre.
Amongst the Lithuanian survivors who came to South Africa was the remarkable Chayela Rosenthal known as the “Wunderkind of the Vilna Ghetto Theatre”. After having survived the Vilna Ghetto, Kaiserwald Labour camp, Stutthof concentration camp and a death march to the Baltic Sea, Chayela married fellow survivor Xavier Piatke, and went on to have a remarkable international career in Yiddish theatre with many stars of stage and screen. She made her home in Cape Town, South Africa, where she and Xavier had two daughters, Naava and Zola, who continued their parents’ legacy.
This is an interview with Zola, on Cape Diary on Fine Music Radio, about what you can look forward to from Monday 19 June.
Against the backdrop of Vilna, ”the Jerusalem of Lithuania”, the exhibition will explore Chayela’s pre-war life and her extraordinary tale of survival and resistance through her music, and that of her brother, the composer Leyb Rosenthal, who was murdered in the Klooga camp.
The exhibition will also explore the connections to YIVO, and Chayela’s post war career and enormous contribution to Yiddish theatre internationally. Finally, the exhibition will examine how Xavier and their daughters Zola and Na’ava continued the legacy of Chayela, after her untimely death at the age of 55.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an ancillary programme of performances (including by Zola, Chayela’s daughter), film screenings, lectures and educational programmes. To read more, go to this special website.
As party of the exhibition, there will be a special “theatre” area to view videos.
One of the highlights is Celebrating Chayela in Song Concert – 25 June 2023
To book a Celebrating Chayela in Song Concert ticket for the 5pm or the 7:30pm show, simply email danielle@holocaust.org.za for the 5pm slot or admin@holocaust.org.za for the 7:30pm slot with your full name, mobile number and number of tickets. You will be contacted to confirm the booking and to arrange for payment
WHAT: Chayela Rosenthal – Wunderkind of the Vilna Ghetto Theatre
WHERE: Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre, 88 Hatfield St, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: 19 June – 23 August 2023
INFO: T 021 462 5553 | E admin@holocaust.org.za | Visit
