For many hundreds of years, Yiddish has been the foundation of a rich and diverse culture, a unique Jewish identity. In December 2021, the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, will organize Yiddish Fest with the support of the Nadav Foundation International Yiddish Center (WJC) and the National Authority for Yiddish Culture in Israel. Yiddish music, literature and language represent a true treasure of the spiritual wealth of the people.
On December 2, the concert “Jewish Soul” by Frank Oz & The Jewish Jazz delighted the audience with a mixture of genres: Yiddish and Chasanut, pop and jazz, Sephardic and Mediterranean music. On December 6, the program of the gala concert included famous Yiddish folk songs, author’s songs and modern songs performed by famous soloists: Vira Lozinsky, Marina Yakubovich, Michael Riskin and Mikhail Gaysinsky. The concert was moderated by Mordehay Yushkovsky, the academic director of the WJC International Yiddish center. Before the beginning of the concerts there was an author’s tour by Boris Brestovitsky “Jewish Humor” to one of the sections of a new exhibition and some observational excursions in the ANU Museum
On December 5, a literary evening was organized, during which two events took place. The first was a discussion on the fate of Yiddish culture and creative activities in this language with people who have devoted their professional activities to Yiddish culture. The discussion was moderated by the well-known stand-up and TV and radio host Ilia Akselrod. The discussion was attended by Dorit Golender, Vice President of GPG, former Israeli Ambassador to Russia, Roza Litay, social activist, daughter of Nechama Lifschitz, Diana Shapiro, researcher of Yiddish language, Leonid Roytman, researcher of Yiddish culture, Mordehay Yushkovsky. In the second part, famous Israeli actress Elena Yaralova and actor Michael Teplitsky recited poems translated from Yiddish into Russian. The audience heard excerpts from works by Sholom Aleihem, Isaac Leib Peretz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Chaim Beider, Eli Beider, Moshe Teif and other writers. Each piece performed that evening was a unique story of a person, an author, a city and a generation whose fate Mordehay Yushkovsky told. And during the intermission, everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the traditional Jewish Ashkenazi food that they knew from their childhood.
