General Interest Classes  

Don’t worry – if you aren’t a singer, dancer or musician and don’t speak Yiddish, there are still plenty of classes you can enjoy.

ESSEN! and Other Gems from the Mayrent Collection/AM1 Henry Sapoznik

In the early 1950s two rival Borscht Belt comics, Lee Tulley and Billy Hodes each issued competing versions of the hilarious Catskill hotel parody “Essen!” (“Eating!”) Join Henry Sapoznik as he plays them (and gets you to vote for your favorite!) and other rare and wonderful Yiddish 78s from the amazing collection assembled by KlezKamp Associate Director Sherry Mayrent.

Kings of American Klezmer: What Made Them Great /AM2 Pete Sokolow

Join Pete Sokolow for a one-of-a-kind guided tour of the great American klezmer clarinetists from the three immigrant giants (Naftule Brandwein, Shloimke Beckerman and Dave Tarras) to the first generation American descendants (Max Epstein, Sam Musiker, Danny Rubinstein, Howie Leess, Paul Pincus and Sid Beckerman). Recorded and live examples – and colorful commentary – will be extensively used.

The Frank London Experience/PM1 Frank London

Jewish Vocal Sources of Klezmer Style/AM1 Sherry Mayrent

Take a trip through the sonic world of the shtetl. This presentation will explore the Eastern European Jewish oral traditions that contributed all the major elements of klezmer style, including khazones, the rhythms of Yiddish, and the music of the Hasidim… For both musicians (instrumental and vocal) and non-musicians wishing to listen to the music with a more educated ear.

Tam Gan Eydn/AM2 Adrienne Cooper with Marilyn Lerner

Yiddish folk repertoire offers a feast of songs about foods: those that comfort, those that remind us of long lost homes, those that celebrate the important occasions in life. A repertoire class for all.

Wexology: Esn Est Zikh: Food in Yiddish/PM2 Michael Wex

We'll look at the role played by food in Yiddish life and language. Topics will include food itself; kosher and treyf; typical dishes; hunger; indigestion; and metaphorical uses of various foodstuffs and Yiddish dishes. As the root of indigestion, food figures very largely in a language and culture that devote so much time to bellyaching. Knowledge of Yiddish is not necessary for this class.

Flikn a Tshikn/PM1 Miriam Isaacs

This class will explore foods in Yiddish literature, including the service at Sholem Aleichem’s Kasrilevke Restaurants. Find out the meaning of “gehakte tsores mit tsibl” and other vital food facts fished straight from Yiddish lore and literature.

Daytsh af tselakhis (“German Be Damned!”)/PM1 Michael Wex

Klezmer instrumental style is inextricably bound up with Yiddish and is essential to an understanding of the music’s idiom and phrasing. Join Michael Wex for a discussion of krekhtsn (moaning) as the archetypal Yiddish sound and other aspects of the interrelationships between speech, music and the origins of Yiddish.

Knishes from Cologne to Kursk/AM1 Eve Jochnowitz

Join noted Yiddish food historian (and consummate blogger) Eve Jochnowitz as she leads a taste tempting Cook’s tour through the landscapes of Yiddish cookery.

Epes In Moyl Arayn: dos esn fun derekh haShas/PM1Eve Jochnowitz

The food practices of the Yiddish world, and the folklore surrounding cooking, eating, provisioning, and the dietary laws provide a rich and colorful landscape to explore.

Yiddish in Film, Fable and Story: Literature/AM1 and
Yiddish in Film, Fable and Story: Film/PM2 Curt Leviant

Join noted scholar, translator and Yiddish literature maven Curt Leviant as he takes you on a tour of the Yiddish experience in Europe and America through the Yiddish novels, films and through his own unique and illustrative writings. Open to all. Students may sign up for either part or both.