Grandma Golde, a Jewish grandmother in Oslo in the beginning of the 1900`s tells wonderful stories to her grandchildren from the old Yiddish heritage. One day as she looks at her broken shoes she starts to memorise the story of the singing shoemaker. The figures appear from the chest of drawers, they come in from the windows and like shadows on the wall. Accompanied by traditional and newly composed klezmer music they bring new life to a old Jewish story.

A performance for the whole family by Ivanir Sibylla Hasson

Grandma Goldes stories has been collected and retold by her grandchild, the author Eva Scheer.

See pictures from the performance.

About Eva Scheer

Eva Scheer was a Norwegian Jewish author and journalist who was born into and grew up in one of the early immigrated Jewish families in Oslo. Her grandmother, Golde Scheer, born in Lithuania, was a well-known storyteller and all her tales were rooted in the old and nearly forgotten Jewish historical traditions.
Golde was a remarkable centre of her family, she often gathered her grandchildren around her and was one of few of her kind that in a profound way really passed on narratives from “the old country”: everyday stories, legends, folk tales and ghost stories. The language was Yiddish and the tales painted a picture of the poor, threatened life in the stetl`s in Eastern Europe but also the strong Jewish belonging and co-operation. The old Jewish culture the immigrants brought with them, was almost eradicated through Shoa and the few survivors of  second generation are more or less gone. Eva Scheer understood early the importance of taking care of this generous and valuable treasure of this culture. After the war, as the only one in Norway, she reproduced and edited many of these original and characteristic stories, filled with love, warmth and Jewish humour. She also contributed a lot to the Norwegian society in general.

Sissel Levin
Jewish Museum of Oslo

Granted by

Arts Council Norway
DKS (the cultural backpack)
Audio and Visual Fund Norway
Fund for Performing Artists
The Freedom of Expression Foundation
Telemark County
Tinn community
Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion Norway
Jewish Museum of Oslo
Tinn Sparebank

Booking/Practical information

The performance can be combined with a workshop of Jewish dance traditions

Scene: Frontal amfi max. 10 meters width incl. sidepassages.Width: 5,5 m

Depth: 5 m

Hight: 3 m

Electricity: 3 x 16 amp.

Blend: Yes

Light: The encemble bring their own light.

Rigg: 2 hours 30 min

Rigg down: 1 hour

Carrying help needed: Yes

Playtime: ca. 45 min

Max. audience: ca. 150