Fiddler On The Roof: At A Glance

Description:     At the turn of the 20th century, Anatevka is a small village in Russia
populated by both Jews and Christians. One of the Jewish villagers, Tevye, has personal
conversations with God but otherwise lives according to the traditions of his people. In
the movie each of his daughters asks him to bend tradition to permit her to marry the
man she loves. The film also recounts a pogrom and the expulsion of the Jews from
Anatevka, as Tevye and his family begin their long trip to America.

"Fiddler on the Roof" describes the experiences of many Eastern European Jewish
immigrants to the United States. It deals with issues of love, parenting, tolerance and
tradition in ways which appeal to everyone. It is also a beautiful musical, possessing a
compelling story line, enchanting music, excellent cinematography, and stunning
choreography.

Helpful Background:

Many Jews lived in poor farming villages in European Russia in the late 1800s and at the
turn of the 20th century. They were subject to periodic government sponsored pogroms
and dispossessions. Millions emigrated to the United States in the period 1890 - 1920.

At the end of the 19th century and in the first two decades of the 20th century, Russia
was alive with revolutionary resistance to the Czarist government. There were many
revolutionary groups, both Communist and capitalist, authoritarian and democratic. The
character Perchik was a member of one of these groups.

In Russia, anyone thought to be undesirable by the regime in power, especially criminals

and revolutionaries, were sent to Siberia. This was a wild frozen land with little
civilization. Many people sent to Siberia never returned.

Vocabulary:

Immigrant: a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there

Pogrom: A planned, brief, surprise attack against a Jewish community

Expulsion: the act of forcing out someone or something

Emigrated: to leave one's country of residence for a new one

Revolutionary: a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving