Initially, Areshteyn’s project won much approval. It was especially praised by the Polish-language Jewish press (such as Nasz Przegląd) and the Polish liberal intelligentsia (one of Arnshteyn’s greatest supporters throughout the whole period was Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński). But despite this support from both the public and critics, the idea of Polish Jewish theatre was also met with great resistance all around.
The idea of a Polish Jewish theatre and its intellectual premises were heavily criticised by representatives of Polish nationalist circles and the Polish Yiddish press alike. The representatives of the latter argued that, given the precarious position of Yiddish culture among Jews, staging Jewish plays in the Polish language presented a threat. From this point of view, Arnshteyn’s project was seen as encouraging Jewish assimilation.
The production that raised perhaps most controversy – as well as praise – was The Golem (1925). 'A spectacle of movement and sound,' it was staged in the circular arena of the Warsaw circus on Okólnik Street, on a constructivist set built by the Polish stage designers Andrzej Pronaszko and Szymon Syrkus. The play was a tremendous logistical endeavour – it was reportedly the first use of circular stage in Polish theatre – and enlisted the participation of the 150-member choir of the Great Tłomackie Synagogue. The premiere was reportedly attended by foreign ambassadors and correspondents, as well as high-level Polish government officials.
Soon, however, major Warsaw theatres and the Polish actors' union refused to present the performance. When it moved to Lublin three years later, it was performed to cries of 'scandal', ‘provocation’ and 'blasphemy'. Yiddish critics also addressed their criticism: jealous of the financial resources available to Polish Jewish theatre (in comparison to Yiddish theatre), they argued that the Golem had not yet been staged in its original language. Arnshteyn responded by producing The Golem in Yiddish several months later.