YIVO Brings Yiddish to the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is delighted to participate in its first Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which will take place from June 29-July 4 and July 6-9, 2023. Produced annually by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Festival honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them.

This year, YIVO will organize several events for the Festival’s program, Creative Encounters: Living Religion in the US, which explores how the country’s diverse religious traditions inspire a wellspring of creative encounters and expressions.

Creative Encounters includes stories and lived experiences of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, followers of Native American and African-inspired religions, Humanists, and other religious and ethical traditions.

YIVO will feature in a mainstage concert which will include performances of Yiddish folksongs and classical works inspired by century old works from its Archives as well as newly commissioned works by Judith Shatin, Aaron Kernis, Lainie Fefferman, and Alex Weiser.

The concert (inspired by YIVO’s May 2022 festival, Continuing Evolution: Yiddish Folksong Today) will take place on Thursday, July 6 from 2:00-3:00pm EDT, both in person and livestreamed and will feature Lorin Sklamberg (YIVO Sound Archivist and Grammy-award winning artist), Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Ryan McCullough, and Yurie Mitsuhashi.

“The centuries old tradition of Yiddish folksong includes beautiful and poignant lyrical reflections on Jewish culture and life. While Archives like YIVO preserve this tradition for study, the creative imaginations of musicians and composers are essential to interpreting its meaning anew for each generation,” said Alex Weiser, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer and YIVO’s Director of Public Programs. “It is our honor to take part in this important task of showcasing Yiddish folksong at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.”

In addition to the concert, YIVO has arranged for a series of food workshops led by Gefilteria’s Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz on blintzes and pickling. They will also participate in a session about pickling traditions across America with expert forager Susan Belsinger.

“We are moved that our work reclaiming and reimagining Ashkenazi cuisine will be recognized alongside culture-bearers of all kinds — craftspeople, dancers, musicians, and yes, cooks — who will be celebrating the diversity and richness of living American traditions. We look forward to sharing the art of Ashkenazi pickling, cheesemaking and more with visitors from across the country and the world,” said Liz Alpern of Gefilteria.

In addition, YIVO will host singalong and listening/discussion workshops exploring Yiddish music from the YIVO collections which will be hosted by Lorin Sklamberg and Alex Weiser.

“I am thrilled that YIVO’s Yiddish folk song and music collections is being included in this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival and that I’m being given the unique opportunity of participating as both an archivist and as a Jewish cultural activist/performer,” said Sklamberg.

The Festival will be located on the National Mall between 12th and 14th Streets, in front of the National Museum of American History in DC. The hours are generally 11:00am to 5:30pm EDT, with evening concerts and special presentations starting at 6:00pm EDT. All events are free and open to the public. Evening concerts plus a selection of daytime programs will be livestreamed on YouTube. Learn more about the Festival at https://festival.si.edu/.

What:             The Gefilte Manifesto: Sweet Blintzes with Fresh Cheese
When:            Friday, June 30, 2023 | 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
In Person:     Ralph Rinzler Main Stage
Online:          Livestream on YouTube

What:             Traditional Jewish Pickle Making Workshop
When:            Saturday, July 1, 2023 | 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In Person:     Kitchen Theology

What:             Traditional Jewish Pickle Making Workshop
When:            Sunday, July 2, 2023 | 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In Person:     Kitchen Theology

What:             Pickling Traditions Across America
When:            Sunday, July 2, 2023 | 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
In Person:     Festival Foodways

What:             Traditional Jewish Pickle Making Workshop
When:            Monday, July 3, 2023 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
In Person:     Kitchen Theology

What:             Traditional Jewish Pickle Making Workshop
When:            Tuesday, July 4, 2023 | 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In Person:     Kitchen Theology

What:             The Gefilte Manifesto: Sweet Blintzes with Fresh Cheese
When:            Tuesday, July 4, 2023 | 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
In Person:     Festival Foodways

What:             Mainstage Concert
When:            Thursday, July 6, 2023 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
In Person:     Ralph Rinzler Main Stage
Online:          Livestream on YouTube

What:             Sacred Themes in Yiddish Folk Music
When:            Friday, July 7, 2023 | 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
In Person:     Kitchen Table

What:             Yiddish Music Sing Along
When:            Saturday, July 8, 2023 | 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
In Person:     Crossroads Stage

What:             Yiddish Music Guided Listening Session
When:            Saturday, July 8, 2023 | 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
In Person:     Encounter Stage

What:             Yiddish Music Sing Along
When:            Sunday, July 9, 2023 | 12:00pm - 12:45pm EDT
In Person:     Encounter Stage

For more information contact:
Shelly Freeman
Chief of Staff

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story