NEW YORK (JTA) — Anatevka had a special guest in attendance on Sunday afternoon: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended the Yiddish production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” or “Fidler Afn Dakh,” at Stage 42 in Manhattan.
Following the show, Clinton went on stage to hug director Joel Grey. In a video shared to the show’s social media accounts, she also spoke to the cast.
“I just can’t tell you how extraordinary this made me feel,” Clinton said. “In and of itself, it’s such an incredible production, but as we were just saying, given the time, and everything that’s going on, you just want everybody in the world to see this and to feel it and to relate to it and to empathize with it and to cry at the end, like I did. So, maybe we can bring back some of that empathy and understanding that is just being squeezed away. And we can’t let that happen. So, thank you all.”
Nick Raynor, an actor in the cast, posted a photo on his Instagram of Clinton meeting the performers and writing, “with tears in her eyes, she proclaimed how important and beautiful this message & show truly is. Thank you Hillary for spending your time with us.”
Clinton isn’t the first famous guest to visit Anatevka: Earlier this year, the Jewish Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended — on the same night as Kate McKinnon, the actress who impersonates RBG on “Saturday Night Live.”
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