Gimpel the Fool Returns to Poland

Gimpel the Fool is a treasure of Yiddish literature written by Nobel prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.

I.B. Singer’s frankness and courage to grapple with good and evil in his story makes this  very specific world of pre-Holocaust Europe both accessible, universal and extremely relevant to today’s world.

The short story was translated by Saul Bellow and Israel’s award-winning theatre company, The Nephesh Theatre, has been performing the stage adaptation of “Gimpel the Fool” around the world for the past 18 years. The play serves up a rich soundtrack of voices and klezmer music in a surrealistic theatrical presentation now captured on film by Nephesh Artistic Director, Howard Rypp, in the role of Gimpel the Fool.

Co-presented by Chutzpah! with the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival in this year’s CHUTZPAH FESTIVAL, the documentary follows the show’s journey presenting the play throughout different towns of Poland, while tracing Singer’s escape from the Holocaust, finally finding refuge in the USA.

After the screening, Howard Rypp and his co-writer Prof. Howard Wiseman will participate in a “Talk Back” discussing the film and take questions from the audience.

Film Info