Sara’s Grief
Sara is a beautiful Jewish woman, granddaughter of the local rabbi
who is loved by two brothers, Itzik and Borukh. They are sons
of a wealthy Jew, Rabinovitch. They both love her deeply but she
loves Itzik. Her parents consent that she marries him. Borukh
loves both Sara and his brother and wishes them happiness in their
family life, but he leaves the shtetl. It would have been too
hard for him to keep seeing Sara and realising that she doesn’t
belong to him.
Itzak and Sara are happy in their mutual love but God didn’t bless
them with children, which they desperately wanted. Ten years past
since their marriage but there are no children.
So Itzak’s parents and other Jewish shtetl authorities decide
that they have to divorce. For her grandfather the rabbi it is
a shame that his granddaughter is childless, it means that she
doesn’t have God’s blessing. The authorities insist on it but
Itzak fights against their opinion. Eventually he is too weak
to struggle with everybody and agrees to sign the get (divorce
certificate). The get has been ready for a long time, so Itzak
has simply to sign it and take it to Sara.
From that moment, they would be considered to be officially divorced,
but the question is how to get this paper to the wife that he
loves to death. She wouldn’t agree to the divorce, but the Jews
have a special trick in this case; one can bring this paper to
the wife using deceitful means. The most important thing is to
have witnesses. As soon as she takes hold of this fateful paper
and the others witness it, she is divorced.
The authorities decide to use his trick. One of them dresses as
a pauper and whilst taking mitzveh geld (alms) from her, drops
the document. Sara picks it up and already whilst opening the
document realises that trick, too late!
She is in despair. She shares her grief with her husband but at
the same moment, the Jewish authorities announce that she has
to leave her husband’s house, and he is a stranger to her fro
now on. This terrible outcome affects the weak Itzak so much that
he takes a rope and ties it to a hook on the wall and ends his
bitter existence.
Itzak was buried according to strict Jewish traditions. And Sara
is inconsolable. She moans and longs and yearns and after gets
seriously ill. Her father and mother invite a doctor to see their
dear daughter. The doctor having examined the patient announces
categorically that she is absolutely fine and is going to become
a mother soon. So if Itzak had waited to define his destiny, they
would both be happy.
And this is a play of ruthless fate.
“Cine-fono” magazine 1913 #25
brief synopsis of some of the films
articles about L'chaim from Sine-fono 1910
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about Polina Shepherd