YIVO at 100: A Century of Yiddish Music and Folklore in Canada

Founded in 1925, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research has been THE destination over the last century for knowledge and research of Yiddish language, culture, and civilization. Through its treasured collections and robust programming and educational initiatives, YIVO has helped preserve the precious legacy of one thousand years of Ashkenazi Jewish life. While there is no official YIVO branch in Canada, the institution’s legacy has proliferated north of the border in numerous and notable ways. In this special event marking YIVO’s centennial, we were joined by distinguished scholars and musicians who shared their unique insights and artistry diving into the distinct legacy of Yiddish song collections in Canada. The event included lectures interspersed with musical performances and brought together a sold-out crowd lead by the team at the Ashkenaz Foundation, York University, Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, and the Prosserman JCC.

Lecturers:

Itzik Gottesman is internationally recognized as a leading scholar and activist for Yiddish language and culture. Currently teaching at University of Texas-Austin, he was previously managing editor of the Yiddish Forverts and authored the book “Defining the Yiddish Nation: The Jewish Folklorists of Poland.” Gottesman edits and writes the Yiddish Song of the Week blog for the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, and he has conducted folklore fieldwork in New York, Mexico and Israel. He is the son of the renowned late Yiddish poet/songwriter Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman.

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is a scholar of Performance and Jewish Studies and a museum professional. She is best known for her interdisciplinary contributions to Jewish studies and to the theory and history of museums, tourism, and heritage. She is currently the Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator of the Core Exhibition and Advisor to the Director at Warsaw’s POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. She has published numerous books, serves on Advisory Boards for multiple museums, and has received numerous honours, including the Mlotek Prize for Yiddish and Yiddish Culture, honorary doctorates from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and University of Haifa, and lifetime achievement recognition from the Foundation for Jewish Culture. Her remarks will be pre-recorded for this presentation.

Performers:

Lenka Lichtenberg is a 2023 JUNO Award Winner, vocalist, composer, producer and cantorial and Yiddish singer. Since relocating to Toronto from her native Prague, the multilingual performer has released seven albums of her own and numerous collaborations with others. Her music, often a deeply spiritual celebration of her roots, transcends folk, jazz, global roots and classical genres and has won multiple awards and nominations.‍

Joseph Landau is a fresh young voice in Canada’s vibrant Yiddish music scene. He is a multi-instrumental recording artist, vocalist, and teacher. He mainly performs as an accordionist, songwriter, and singer of English, French, Yiddish, Hebrew, German and Italian songs. Currently Joseph is one of only a few Canadian artists writing new Yiddish songs, which he performs primarily with Yosl and the Yingels, a Yiddish swing and folk band that he founded and leads.