The great Sheldon Harnick, who died June 23 at 99, was a uniquely accomplished American lyricist. One of the few theater artists to have won not only a Tony Award and an Emmy Award, but also a Pulitzer Prize, Harnick is best known for his work as part of the creative team behind "Fiddler on the Roof." The first Broadway musical to surpass 3,000 performances, "Fiddler" was a centerpiece in the Jewish Pride movement that kicked off during the mid-1960s. It was matzo ball soup for the Yiddish soul.
In the early 1960s, the Jewish American soul was tied in knots ... Untangling that knot is how "Fiddler" managed to enthrall Jewish Americans.
