Leisure time

Leisure time

Vacations were a luxury most Bałuty residents couldn’t afford. Instead, people enjoyed their leisure time in local parks, such as Julianów Park, where they engaged in winter and water sports. Traveling circuses included some Jewish performers and theaters showed Yiddish dramas and operettas. Cabarets and revue theaters were particularly popular in the interwar period, with performances often touching on social issues and political satire. The Bałuty audiences appreciated the duo Dżigan and Szumacher, whose songs humorously commented on the social and political climate, especially concerning figures such as Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler. The audio includes excerpts from songs “Ach, jak przyjemnie” (perf. Adam Aston) and “Abisynia” (perf. Bolesław Norski-Nożyca), and the satirical sketch “Birobidżan” (perf. Dżigan and Szumacher).