Ilia Trilling


Ilia Trilling was a German-born Yiddish theatrical producer and composer for Yiddish theatrical works. He was active in Poland, Ukraine and the United States.
Trilling was born in Elberfeld. He was able to obtain passage to America by being granted a passport by Russian authorities solely for Ilya Trilling and then getting a friend to change the word Ilya to "familya", meaning family in the native language. This forgery paid off and the entire family emigrated to America through Ellis Island, never to return to Europe. He continued his work in the Yiddish theater in America. His children and their offspring are still in the United States. They live in California, Pepper Pike, Ohio, Sharon, Massachusetts, Missouri, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, and many other locations.

Works