Ida Kamińska

From Grokipedia

Ida Kamińska (4 September 1899 – 21 May 1980) was a Polish-Jewish actress, director, and theatre manager renowned for her contributions to Yiddish theatre. Born in Odessa to the prominent Yiddish performers Ester Rachel Kamińska and Avrom Yitskhok Kamiński, she debuted as a child actor and later led theatre companies that sustained Jewish dramatic traditions through interwar Poland, wartime displacement, and postwar communist rule. Over her career, Kamińska produced more than 70 plays, appeared in over 150 productions, authored two original works, and translated or adapted dozens of scripts into Yiddish, establishing multiple troupes including the postwar Jewish State Theatre in Warsaw. Her international acclaim peaked with the role of Mrs. Bródská in the 1965 Czechoslovak film The Shop on Main Street, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress—the first for a Polish performer. Facing anti-Semitic campaigns in 1960s Poland, she emigrated to the United States in 1967, continuing performances until her death in New York City.

In brief

Ida Kamińska (Yiddish: אידאַ קאַמינסקאַ; September 18, 1899 – May 21, 1980) was a Polish actress and director. Known mainly for her work in the theatre, she was the daughter of Avrom Yitshok Kaminski (Abraham Isaac Kaminski) and Ester Rachel Kamińska (née Halpern), known as the Mother of the Jewish Stage. The Jewish Theatre in Warsaw, Poland is named in their honor.

In her long career Kamińska produced more than 70 plays, and performed in more than 150 productions. She also wrote two plays of her own and translated many works in Yiddish. World War II disrupted her career, and she later immigrated to the United States where she continued to act.