KlezKamp 24:
AshkeNosh! Yiddish Culture/Yiddish Food

December 21-26, 2008/5769
Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, Kerhonkson, NY

Yamoyd, yamoyd,

Welcome to our 24th annual KlezKamp, whose tasteful theme, “AshkeNosh!” reveals a lip-smacking, sumptuous bounty of Yiddish culture. By combining our usual mix of classes in music, dance, song, literature, language, and crafts, the wonderful world of AshkeNosh! is served up fresh and piping hot!

Check out some of the special theme classes (noted with a special logo) we are offering this year, including food lectures by Michael Wex, a film score ensemble headed by Marilyn Lerner providing rehearsed and improvised music for the amazing 1926 silent Yiddish film “East and West”, Jenny Romaine's always terrific Youth Theater, Miriam Isaacs' look at food in Yiddish literature, and you can be sure I’ll include some unusual Yiddish food songs in my class on the rare and wonderful Yiddish 78 rpms from the Mayrent Collection.

This year we’d like to welcome first time staffer, translator and Yiddish literary maven Curt Leviant to offer lectures on compelling themes in Yiddish literature, folktales and films, and welcome back our old friend, renowned Jewish foodie Eve Jochnowitz, who will offer taste tempting lectures on the history of Yiddish food. We are also reanimating “Di Grine Kuisine,” our KlezKamp Cookery project, and reaching out to old and new KlezKampers alike to share their treasured family recipes for inclusion in a major publication in time for our gala 25th anniversary year celebrations in 2009.

Our home is again the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, a modern hotel mit alle mayles (with all the trimmings) in the Catskill tradition whose world class kitchen is, as always, under the shtreng Glatt kosher hashgokhe of Ha’rov Gershon Kreuser.

In the 24 years since we first brought KlezKamp to the masses, it has presented our culture in innovative and cutting edge ways, helping Yiddish heritage find new and broad appreciation both at home and around the world.

KlezKamp has become more than merely an annual event. It has inspired numerous events around the globe and has become a singular model for how traditional culture can survive and thrive in today’s disposable world. Join us and be part of Yiddish Culture for the 21st Century.

Mit varemste grisn,

Henry "Hank" Sapoznik
Founder and Director, KlezKamp
Executive Director, Living Traditions

Articles about KlezKamp:

• "Keeper of the Klezmer Flame" in the Daily Freeman (2/25/05)
  (pdf file: Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
• "Klezmer Returns to the Catskills" in the Times Herald-Record
  (pdf file: Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
• Itzik Gottesman in the Yiddish Forverts
• Dena (Dobe) Ressler's letter in the Yiddish Forverts and translation
• "Klezmer Kids Working to Raise Funds to Participate in KlezKamp" in the Nashville Jewish Observer (pdf file: Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
• "A Legend Dances through the 'Rusty' Years" article about Felix Fibich in the Forward
  
• Article about KlezKamp 18 in the Forward