Illustrious Star of the Yiddish Theater: Mina Bern, dead at 98 years old, leaves behind a prodigious body of work. Image by Karen Leon

Mina Bern, the doyenne of Yiddish theater who performed for audiences around the globe and acted in 12 films, died January 10 in New York City. She was 98.

She spoke five languages, but said she was proud that Yiddish was her “best.” “Yiddish is such a rich language. As an actress I can convey sorrow, pain, fear and pleasure without having to look for a word,” she was quoted as saying in a 2006 Lilith article, “Yiddish Divas Take the Stage.”

The legendary actress was a major star in her native Poland, and then went on to similar success in Russia and Israel. In 1949, Bern arrived in New York City, where her first production was “Shalom Tel Aviv,” at the National Theater on Houston Street.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Illustrious Star of the Yiddish Theater: Mina Bern, dead at 98 years old, leaves behind a prodigious body of work. Image by Karen Leon

Her early credits on Broadway included performances in “Let’s Sing Yiddish” and “Sing, Israel, Sing.” She directed and performed in the 1970 production of “Light, Lively and Yiddish.”

At age 79, in 1990, she starred in “Those Were the Days,” according the Internet Broadway Database and the Web site Filmbug..

Bern turned her talent to movies, too, landing roles in such major films as “Avalon,” “Crossing Delancey,” “Little Odessa,” and “I’m Not Rappaport.”

For 25 years, she traveled with her husband, the late Ben Bonus, under the auspices of The Workman’s Circle, bringing Yiddish to audiences across the country. Their hits included the 1976 production of “Long Live Columbus!” a tribute to the American bicentennial.

After her husband died in 1984, Bern continued as a solo actress and joined the Folksbiene’s.

She won an Obie Award for her performance in Folksbiene’s production of “Sweet Dreams” in 1999, and garnered rave reviews for her portrayal of a feisty aunt in Folksbiene’s production of “An American Family.”

In 2002, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Yiddish Theater.

Her funeral will be held at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, January 12, at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, New York City. Burial will take place at the grounds of the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance, Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, N.Y.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount