Dear Reader,
Last November, when I saw that Brigham Young University (BYU), was putting on “Fiddler on the Roof,” I knew I had to go. I had to know why the flagship school for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — more commonly known as Mormons — would choose such a Jewish show.
As a reporter with multiple degrees in religion and literature, this was the story I dreamt of writing as a college and graduate student. This famous musical is by Jews, about Jews and beloved by Jews. But does that make “Fiddler” an inherently Jewish story? And, when it’s performed by a school like BYU, is the production about Jews? Jesus? Latter-day Saints?
Or something else entirely?
Being part of the Forward’s team meant I had the full support of our editors to explore this story. I spent days with the cast and crew in Provo, Utah, hearing their perspectives on theater, religion and cultural appropriation, occasionally correcting their Yiddish pronunciation, and indulging my own curiosity about Latter-day Saint doctrine. I was even able to host a Zoom event with several cast members after the story was published to see how my sources reacted.
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