Jura Soyfer
Jura Soyfer was a notable Jewish playwright and political activist born on December 8, 1912, in Kharkov, Ukraine. He came from a prosperous family and was educated in multiple languages, which sparked his interest in cultural expression. After moving to Vienna in the 1920s, he became deeply involved in socialist politics, despite his affluent background. Soyfer contributed to the Political Cabaret of the Social Democrats and wrote satirical pieces for revolutionary publications, advocating for a theater that served as a platform for political discourse rather than mere entertainment. His works drew inspiration from the "Epic" Theater movements of Bertolt Brecht and Irwin Piscator. Tragically, his life was cut short when he was arrested and sent to concentration camps due to his Jewish heritage and political beliefs. He died of typhus shortly after his release from Buchenwald in 1939. Despite his early death, Soyfer's legacy endures, and his plays were later published in 1974, reflecting his impact on political theater and cultural resistance during a dark chapter in history.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Jura Soyfer
Writer
- Born: December 8, 1912
- Birthplace: Kharkov, Ukraine
- Died: February 16, 1939
- Place of death: Buchenwald, Germany
Biography
Jura Soyfer was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, on December 8, 1912. Partially because of his early death and perceived martyrdom, Soyfer achieved the status of cult hero for some admirers. The son of a well-to-do Jewish family, Soyfer was educated by French- and English-speaking governesses, which accounted for his interest in languages. In 1921, Soyfer’s family moved to Baden and from there to Vienna. By age fifteen, Soyfer was a confirmed socialist, a seemingly contradictory stance the son of a wealthy industrialist. In 1929, he began writing scripts for the Political Cabaret of the Social Democrats.
In addition, Soyfer also wrote satires for several revolutionary newspapers and began calling for theatrical reforms. Soyfer wanted to see the theater become less of an entertainment and more of a political platform. In that sense, he approached the philosophies of Bertolt Brecht and Irwin Piscator’s so-called “Epic” Theater.
After 1935, most of Soyfer’s theatrical pieces were performed at the ABC theater in Vienna. In 1937, as a result of a case of mistaken identity, Soyfer was arrested. A few months later, Soyfer was freed on an amnesty for political prisoners, but was arrested again and sent to Dachau, where he wrote “Dachau-Lied” (the Dachau song) with H. Zipper. In autumn of 1938, Soyfer was transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp where, one day after his release was granted, he died of typhus on February 16, 1939. Certainly, his imprisonment came as no surprise, since Jews and Communists were political targets for internment in the concentration camps of that era, and Soyfer was both. In 1974, his plays were collected and published by the Young Austria organization.