Elizabeth Polack

Elizabeth Polack was an English playwright of the 1830s, notable for having been described by chroniclers of the period as England's first Jewish woman melodramatist.

Few historical records survive which detail Elizabeth Polack's life. Although neither the year nor place of her birth have been noted, documentation of her activity as a playwright active in London between 1830 and 1838 remains for posterity. Contemporary records credit her with five plays, only two of which, Esther, the Royal Jewess; or The Death of Haman and St. Clair of the Isles; or The Outlaw of Barra, have survived. Esther, with a story taken from the Old Testament, and considered in its time to be a type of an "Exotic East" melodrama, was successfully produced in 1835 at London's Mile End Pavilion Theatre in the East End (the Pavilion was later a centre for Yiddish theatre in London). 1838's St. Clair, based on an 1803 novel by Elizabeth Helme, met, however, with a very modest reception.

Polack may have been a relation of Joel Samuel Polack, the first Jewish settler of New Zealand. Joel's biographer writes that he lived with his sister in Piccadilly when he first returned to England; that sister may have been Elizabeth.

Polack

The noun Polack (/ˈpoʊlɑːk/ or /-læk/; also Pollack, Pollock, Polock), in the contemporary English language, is a derogatory reference to a person of Polish descent. It is an Anglicisation of the Polish language word Polak, which means a Polish male or a person of Polish nationality (feminine being Polka), with a neutral connotation. However, the English loanword "Polack" (note the spelling difference which does not appear in Polish - there is no "ck" combination in the Polish language) is considered an ethnic slur in the United States and the United Kingdom, and therefore is considered insulting in nearly all modern usages.

History

According to Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper, "Polack" meant as "Polish immigrant, person of Polish descent" was used in American English until the late 19th century (1879) to describe a "Polish person" in a non-offensive way (1574). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) based on the Unabridged Dictionary by Random House claims that the word originated between 1590–1600. For example, Shakespeare uses the term Polacks in his tragedy Hamlet to refer to opponents of Hamlet's father. A quote is given below:

Polack (surname)

Polak, aka Polack, Poláček or Pollack is a surname common in Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and the United States. One of its meanings may be Polish man. It may refer to:

Polak

Polack

Poláček

Polaczek

Pollack

Polack (disambiguation)

Polack is a derogatory reference to a Pole or person of Polish descent.

Polack may also refer to:

See also