Mock Yiddish and Ethnic Parody in the Vaudeville Melting-Pot     While weary critiques of Blackface, Yellowface and Redface have become almost a Halloween tradition in their own right, “Jewface” in popular music has largely been forgotten.[1]). However, this past spring, the Center for Jewish History in New York City hosted an exhibit by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: “Jewface: ‘Yiddish’ Dialect Songs of Tin Pan Alley.” I quote from the exhibition’s website: With his fake beard, putty nose, […]

Categories: ZiLL • Tags: comedy, Irving Berlin, Jews, popular music, stereotypes, vaudeville