Velvel is a hardworking peasant who lives in a Polish shtetl; his wife, Dora, is a staid woman who stands by her convictions, and the convivial Reb Groshkover possesses Old World humor and charm. They might seem like characters straight out of a Sholom Aleichem story, but they are, in fact, three yet-to-be filled Yiddish-speaking roles in the Coen Brothers’ newest script, “A Serious Man.” The filmmakers have put out a casting call for unknown thespians who are fluent or near fluent in Yiddish, and familiar with the customs of a Jewish wedding.
What a great concept for a movie. I can hardly wait to see how this all turns out. Keeping the Yiddish language alive is a challenge in itself and I wish the Coen brothers the best.
1/ Needless to say the Coen brothers are un"familiar with the customs of a Jewish wedding". 2/ I do sympathise with their problems in finding (secular) Jews who speak Yiddish (and are still mobile and at least semi-breathing). Yiddish is dying. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Ivrit chai!
To Sarah Kricheff: I am a fluent speaker of Yiddish, age 54, and am interested in contacting the Coen brothers for a part in the film. Could you help me make the connection?
My friend called me about this female part.I speak fluent yiddish and am 59. My parents were polish. Are you interested?
Well Thank G-d Yiddish is not dead and is not anywhere close to die. I'd help these guys with that. I am fluent in both - language and The Tradition. The reason I'd do it that it is one of the ways secular Jews could actualy get somehow familiar with their own History and Tradition. The question is how to get intouch with those guys?
Neither of them would be familiar with the "customs of a Jewish wedding" because they both married shiksas. 90% of Jewish men in the entertainnment industry are intermarried. That is why movies like "Knocked up" are being made. Down with Hollywood and the Coen brohers!
Having coached a number of actors auditioning for the role of "Man" (as the script designates him), I wonder who among the Coen brothers' producers will decide on Yiddish "fluency." The transliterated "Yiddish" script is a horror in more ways than I can begin to relate.
I am a 57 year old female really fluent in Yiddish and would be interested in auditioning for the new Coen Brother's movie. My brother speaks Yiddish as well, and he would be interested too. Can you please tell me when and where auditions are being held in New York. Thank you.
"Dave"'s June 21 comment must rank as one of the most offensive statements ever appearing on this website--dedicated, it should be recalled, to the English offspring of what is not only the longest-running and, historically, the largest circulating Yiddish newspaper, but also the most culturally significant Jewish newspaper ever published. One suspects that the boorish and unidiomatic expression "Ivrit chai" (better "lashon ivrit khai v'kayam," or better still, nothing...) constitutes the sum of both his knowledge of Hebrew and his ignorance of Jewish culture. Put succinctly, Yiddish was the language of Jewish particularism for the past 1000 years, and to say of it "good riddance to bad rubbish" (a comment one never hears, by the way, about Ladino...) is to dismiss essentially the whole of Ashkenazic civilization, including--ironically enough--Zionism and the modern Hebrew movement, both of which were formulated by native Yiddish speakers.
Hi. I am a female and fluent in Yiddish. I would like to audition for this role. Please let me know how I can get in touch with the casting director or the Coen brothers. thanks.
Hard to believe, but I'm the only one I know of in my age group to speak and sing Yiddush fluently. Am young, an actress and attractive. Born in Israel came to the U.S. at 9 years. I'm very familiar with Jewish weddings. I would like to be considered for the above Coen Brothers movie, A serious Man. I'll be happy to give you a brief biography in Yiddush over the phone and send a picture. If you require a Chazzan for the wedding, I can recommend the hippest , well trained most talented young chazzan I have ever heard. Please let me know how to contact the principals. Chedva
What is the origin of the Coen brothers? The spelling of their name is the standard spelling of Cohen in Italy (where few if any Jews ever spoke Yiddish, except perhaps in Trieste) - could it also be common in Romania? And really, "shiksas"!!! (Some of us skiksas are more interested in Jewish culture than their partners of that origin are)... Borderline offensive comment, no?
1/ Yiddish is not dying out? Look at the ages mentioned by the Yiddish speakers right on this thread. 2/ Its interesting that the comment that I made that referred to a language and not a single person (I myself am 100% Askenazi) is called "one of the most offensive statements ever appearing on theis website". Myself I put people ahead of languages. 3/ Ladino is also dying out if that makes anyone feel better. 4/ The language 'of Jewish particularism for the past 1000 years' was not spoken by 1/3 of Jews during that time. 5/ Any bets which paper has a bigger circulation, the Fervertz or the Forward? 6/ The native Yiddish speakers who created modern Hebrew and Zionism actively discouraged Yiddish speaking-and they knew best. 7/ Dismiss most of Ashkenazi civilization? No problem there. But where else whould I put the history of accordion music, whining theatre, dissembling conversation, raped women and fearful men but in the rubbish.
I am fluent inYiddish and know about jewish wedding.{I am a wife of a Conservative Rabbi and I directed many weddings} Giving me the opportuinity to help you will bring some "na-ches"[pleasure} to my holucust surviving parents who spoke to me ONLY in Yiddish as they wanted me to keep something from their past alive!
I am 50 years young, I speak fluent Yiddish and Hebrew, So do my kids and grandkids. My son was an extra in "The Chosen" and I was in "Rag Time". My cousin is the famous Chazan Dudu Fisher,(he would be too expensive for you). Call me for an audition, please. Chana W.
I'm a 29-year-old Yiddish speaker - waiting for the Coen Brothers to give me a call. Alexandra.
I have news for "dave",(the know-it-all balagoola).There is a very active Yiddish Club here in Tulsa, OK. There are 40 members, ranging in age from 50's to 90's. We meet regularly at the Jewish Community Center, speak Yiddish, read Yiddish, sing Yiddish songs and watch and enjoy Yiddish films.We are very mobile, very "with-it", active, witty and enjoying life in the midst of the Bible-belt! Zei gezundt....
For the nay-sayers about Yiddish being a dying language, there is a big conference of the Int'l Yiddish clubs in Cleveland on Aug. 3 and they are expecting several hundred to attend. Yes, the comments asking for a contact person for the Coen movie was missing, so many could not call to audition. anyone know where to reach them?
I am a lyric baritone and actor who has performed in musical theater and nightclubs (also weddings and other social events) in Canada and Chicago over the past 40 plus years. I speak Yiddish fluently (I also speak Polish, German, Serbo-Croatian and sing in many other languages) . I am currently performing in a new Yiddish music program called Abi Gezunt. I would be very interested in auditioning. How would I get in touch with the Coen's casting director?
My father-in-law was born in Poland around 1941. He speaks fluent Yiddish. Contact me if the Coen Brothers are looking for someone his age for the movie.
I am a yiddish speaking young man ,attractive in good physical shape ,has all the background & culture of the hassidic community,even though I am not hassidic .I have acted in several films in the past,would love to have a metting with the Coen bros. my E.MAIL sobenyc1@aol.com
zsem fcrd tflzenouc cehlyd jpqnd hrcp eugtvl
I am perfect for the female lead role. Please e mail me how to submit my resume/reel to be viewed by the Coen Brothers. email des@newulmtel.net Atention: Natalie (I will be waiting to hear from you) Thanking you in advance for your consideration.
Why don't you just come to St. Louis Park and have an open casting call here. There is still a very large population of Orthodox Jews that walk to 4 or 5 synagogues within a 3 mile radius. Everything that you need is right in our neighborhood. It hasn't changed much. We're looking forward to the filming!
I am very capable with yiddish and I want to get in touch with the Coen brothers I live in Los Angeles. How can I get to try out for the yiddish film they're doing?
i would like to send the coen brothers a book i have written. it takes place here in mississippi. it is an underdog story.could you let me know how to do this. thank you.
Congrats on Oscar. Still waiting for apology for wasting my time on a visit on the lot when Joel stood me up last year...A. Ross
Congrats on Oscar. Still waiting for apology for wasting my time on a visit on the lot when Joel stood me up last year...A. Ross
Does anyone have any information on the auditions for this movie?
Hi my name is Shlomo Frishman and I am 14 years old and am intrested in a part in the movie. Can anyone help me, if you do that would be great. Thank you.
I am Pamela Norton Docken a successful comedy playwright (www.laughsunltd.com) as well as an actress and would love to work for the Coen Brothers in what ever capacity possible during the filming of A Serious Man.
I am an "unknown thespian" I can speak yiddish but have not since I live in Minneapolis and the only time I get an opportunity is when I throw out yiddish words in conversation when no English word could ever do. My Father was born in 1912 in Romania and spoke 5 languages, my Mother a holocaust survivor in France. I am a first generation American Jewish woman. I was born when my Father was in his late 50's ( pretty cool) and was raised, unfortunately, in a family that was multilingual but where the children only spoke English. I would love to be in the Coen Brothers movie now and anytime in the future. Being Jewish for me is not only a religion, it is who I am as a human being. It runs through my body and sustains me, like the blood in my veins. I may not be "jewish" enough for the devote, but I would put my jewishness up to anyones. I hope I have an opportunity to be in this film and if anyone who is reading this has any pull with Joel and Ethan, please put in a good word for me.My Father, who taught me all the Yiddish I know, would be smiling from heaven.
It seems like this Michelle Murphy Jopp person is begging to be in someone's movie. A little pathetic if you ask me.
You know what is really pathetic..John.John is that I bet you have never been successful at anything and probably are short, overweight and have never gotten "the girl". It makes me sad that you have to be so negative.
Well said, Michelle - such rudeness is uncalled for. You should be proud of your heritage. If he read any of the other postings, he might see how "desperate" many other people are to be in a Coen brothers movie.
Awesome, I am down for anything the Coen Brothers do, these guys are brilliant
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To Marc Brukhes and the others who took on Dave after his June 21st remarks, bravo! I didn't have the stomach to engage this idiot. However, he compounded his idiocy mixed with offensiveness on June 28 with this "observation: "7/ Dismiss most of Ashkenazi civilization? No problem there. But where else whould I put the history of accordion music, whining theatre, dissembling conversation, raped women and fearful men but in the rubbish." This I couldn't let pass.
You are clearly impervious to learning, not to mention rational thought but I'll just mention two things: (1) it wasn't 1/3 of Jews who spoke Yiddish but 60% of world Jewry prior to WWII and for 1000 years a tougher, more creative Jewish civilization, is not to be found; and (2) the entire resurrection of the Hebrew language is in large part due to Yiddish, for besides keeping Hebrew alive within the context of daily speech, as opposed to liturgy, Yiddish gave the Hebraists (all native Yiddish speakers themselves) inspiration and hope in so far as it provided a model of a living, daily, secular, Jewish language. That much contemporary Hebrew, especially its idiomatic forms and deep syntactical structures are directly taken from Yiddish would be lost on you because with you cry of "ivrit chai," you obviously do not speak Hebrew.
There is much more to say but it will be lost on you. I'm not sure what "whining theater" is, nor what "dissembling conversation" is in this context. To dissemble means to "conceal, to "deceive." There were no people being honest when they spoke Yiddish? This is truly what the antisemites used to say when they referred to it as Gaunersprach. What terrible company you find yourself in. How odd that a whole panoply of Israeli politicians, the currently indicted ex-Prime Ministe,r Olmert to name one, was able to "dissemble" in Hebrew. As for your callousness about "raped women," it displays how truly beneath contempt you really are. I take it that you consider it dishonorable that a Yiddish-speaking woman be raped and therefore is not worthy of pity while the tragically increasing number of Israeli women who are raped (in Hebrew) meet their fate honorably. How doubly blessed must be the women raped in Hebrew by the ex-Preisdent, Moshe Katsav. Now that is yichus. What a truly loathsome and self-loathing creature you are. I conclude with a directive: "zolst du brennen." Go and look it up.
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