New Series Debuts with Three Tuchas-Kicking Events for Young Yiddish Revivalists

Celebrate the Vitality of Yiddish Culture Past, Present & Future

February 2006
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- In spring 2006, young Philadelphians will experience the best of the worldwide Yiddish revival with a series of creative, inclusive cultural events and language courses. The newly formed Youngish & Yiddish Series aims to expose Jewish young adults to the richness and diversity of the world of Yiddish by emphasizing the ongoing and renewed vitality of Yiddish language, Klezmer music, and other forms of expression inspired by the mameloshn. The Series has teamed up with other local Jewish organizations to bring this groundbreaking endeavor to reality. Events take place March 22 through April 7, 2006 and language classes run March 28 through May 23, 2006. All are open to the public.

Founder of the Youngish & Yiddish Series, Evelyn Tauben explains her inspiration, “I was surprised that my friends in Philly weren't aware there was such a thing as Yiddish culture. I wanted to share the flavor and fun of Yiddish with my new friends and community, and to open up their eyes that its not a dying language.”

Having grown up in Montreal in a family of proud Yiddishists, Tauben attended performances of the Yiddish theater and listened to stories of her grandparents’ involvement in the Workmen’s Circle movement. She studied Yiddish in school from the first grade and inherited a love for the energy it exudes. “Yiddish is so much more than the schmaltzy remnants of the Catskills,” Tauben says, “and I believe it can light a spark in a whole new generation of Jews.” Having observed her parents organize KlezKanada in the Quebec Laurentians, Tauben now hopes to bring a taste of Yiddishkayt to Philadelphia.

In the wake of the Holocaust, few predicted Yiddish would enjoy a remarkable resurgence with a new generation discovering a language and culture that once seemed on the verge of disappearing. Today, in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Montreal, ‘neo-Yiddishists’ are resurrecting, redefining and reinventing the Yiddish experience.

Philadelphia’s own Yiddish roots run deep and the time is ripe for the younger set to experience another dimension of their Jewish heritage. The Youngish & Yiddish Series is jump-starting a revolution, where old-school shtetl meets the young Jewish enthusiast. Tauben anticipates great interest. She says, “Young Yiddish-lovers in our own backyard have emerged out of the woodwork. Who knew there were other 20-something Yiddish speakers? And the designer of our flyer, Hillary Menkowitz is a relative of Moishe Oysher, the famed star of Yiddish cinema.”

The volunteer planning committee for The Youngish & Yiddish Series is a microcosm of the flavorful heterogeneous Jewish community of Philadelphia. At meetings, West Philly secular activists convene with Ivy League graduate students and Rittenhouse preps. Members’ affiliation with Judaism defies uniformity. Gentile Yiddishists rub shoulders with the observant and every shade of Judaism in between. Yet, members are united in their zealous desire for others to experience the uniquely cool quality that characterizes the modern Yiddish renaissance.

“My grandparents and great grandparents spoke Yiddish in my parents’ childhood homes. But, it wasn’t the primary language spoken during their upbringing – 50% of their conversations were in Yiddish. I grew up enjoying hearing my parents use Yiddish expressions peppered throughout their conversations with family and friends,” explains Val Chavenson, a Center City professional who intends to enroll in the Yiddish classes at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel. “I felt like Yiddish was a dying language. So, I wanted to learn more to help perpetuate its use in our generation."

An amateur klezmer musician and medical student, Ilana Sherer struggled to find a meaningful expression of her Jewish identity growing up. Her pivotal moment came at age 16 while playing familiar melodies for her grandmother on the violin. Not only was a cross-generational connection made and a love for Klezmer born, but Ilana felt it was an authentic expression of her Jewish identity. “This is something that my grandparents know, and now I’m making it my own,” she said.

Mark Chaitowitz emigrated from South Africa four years ago and is now an oncology fellow at a Center City hospital. “I grew up hearing Yiddish being spoken by my grandparents, primarily when they didn’t want me to understand – my ears still pick up when I hear: ‘Nit far di kinder.’” Mark began taking Yiddish classes last fall and was surprised by how easily the language resonated, “It doesn’t feel like learning a foreign language; its more like digging into the depths of one’s Jewish consciousness and unearthing a forgotten mother-tongue. I think many young American Jews would have the same experience. It’s great fun.”

There is no one better to bring a revamped Yiddish image to Philadelphia than Klezmer hip-hop musician Socalled hailing from Ottawa, Canada. Known to his mother as Josh Dolgin, Socalled is redefining the Klezmer genre, collaborating with both mainstream Klezmer musicians and hip-hop artists. He will take the stage to kick off the Series on March 22 at The 5 Spot in Old City with trumpetist Susan Watts, a scion of a genuine Philadelphia Klezmer dynasty. On March 30, the best-selling author of Born to Kvetch, Michael Wex will both entertain and educate with his Yiddish slant on dating and relationships, a sex and the shtetl exposé of sorts. The Youngish & Yiddish Series will conclude with a Friday night dinner on April 7 featuring a fellow youngish Yiddishist, Sam Apple. His debut novel, Schlepping through the Alps, chronicles his apprenticeship with Austria’s last wandering shepherd, an unlikely Yiddish folk-singer.

The Youngish & Yiddish Series has been organized in partnership with The Collaborative,
The Renaissance Group of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and Hillel’s Jewish Graduate Student Network. For more information on the Series and its events, please visit www.youngishandyiddish.org.

The Youngish & Yiddish Series is made possible by The Student Initiatives Committee of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Encouragement Grants, The Renaissance Group of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, The Collaborative, The Jewish Graduate Student Network, The Sholom Aleichem Club and Anonymous donors.

Schedule of Events

Socalled Live featuring Philly’s own Susan Watts:
The acclaimed rapping, accordion wielding, Klezmer-hip hop MC makes his Philly premier. Catch the “master magician mixologist” transform hip-hop, old Yiddish vaudeville, and klezmer beats into one shtetl-fabulous sound.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 , 6:30/Doors, 7:30/Show
The Five Spot, 5 South Bank Street, Philadelphia
$10 in advance, $12 at the door
For advance tickets: The Collaborative, info@thecollaborative.org / 215-446-3031

Born to Kvetch: Everything You Wanted to Know About Yiddish . . . But Were Afraid to Ask:
Says NY Times best-selling comedic author of Born to Kvetch, Michael Wex: "Yiddish is a lot of things but innocent isn't one of them." Wex kibitzes about the Yiddish take on dating & relationships. Plus,Wex on Sex – oy vey!
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Jewish Community Services Building
2100 Arch St., Philadelphia
6:30/Wine reception with kosher noshies, 7:00/Presentation and booksigning
$10 in advance, $15 at the door
RSVP to Leah Wenger, lwenger@philafederation.org / 215-832-0894

Shabbos and the Shepherd
Join Sam Apple, author of Schlepping Through the Alps, for Friday night dinner as he recounts his apprenticeship with Austria’s last wandering shepherd – also a Yiddish folk-singing phenomenon. Presentation follows a kosher Shabbat dinner.
Friday, April 7, 2006 6:30/Shabbat dinner
Steinhardt Hall, Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania
215 South 39th St., Philadelphia
$10 students, $15 non-students
RSVP to Adina Steinberg, adinaste@pobox.upenn.edu / 215-898-645

LEARN YIDDISH!
8 Tuesdays, March 28 – May 23, 2006 (no class April 18)
Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel , 300 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia
To register: 215-735-5148

Beginners' Class: 6:30 – 8:00 pm, $80 ($50 for students)
Don't know your tshaynik from your tuchas? Learn Yiddish with an experienced instructor.

Lomir Redn Yiddish : 8:10 – 9:10 pm, $50
Discussion group for youngish Yiddish speakers.