Join us for the 6th Annual Humboldt Jewish Music And Culture Festival. Presenting music of the Jewish-Ukrainian Heartland: Ukraine is one of the main heartlands of Yiddish culture, a large and diverse land where Ashkenazi culture thrived and developed with influences from Ukrainian, Polish, Greco-Ottoman, Tater, Hutsul and other cultures. The land that gave us Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Babel, the Baal Shem Tov and more also gave us an incredibly diverse repertoire of songs, from secular to religious, folk to theater and the rich underworld songs of Odessa as well as some of the most important collections of klezmer dance tunes. This year our featured guests will center music and dance from this rich and troubled land in their workshops and concert, giving the community an opportunity to immerse ourselves in this beautiful corner of ‘Yiddishland’.

Schedule Of Events

February 1, 2025

11:00 AM -  12:30 PM : Workshop 1:  (For singers and non-singers): Yiddish Folk Songs: Style and Substance, with Michael Alpert

This workshop will explore a Yiddish ballad and go deeply into its context, form and the stylistic nuances of unaccompanied Yiddish lyric singing. It will be interesting for singers of all levels of experience as well as non-singers. It will be of particular interest to people with some experience in folk singing who want to deepen their knowledge of Yiddish balladry, gain tools for singing Yiddish songs and understand what makes Yiddish singing unique.

Workshop 2:  (For instrumentalists): Melody and Rhythm with Yiddish “Tam” (flavor) with Craig Judelman
Many Klezmer melodies are shared by other cultures - Greek, Ukrainian, Romanian and others - so what makes them really feel likeKklezmer is the way we play them. This workshop will focus on things like phrasing, ornamentation, timing and gestures to take some relatively simple melodies and give them the Yiddish “Tam” (flavor). We will focus on melodies but also address groove. Open to musicians of all levels who have basic facility on their instrument.

2:00 - 3:30 PM : Workshop 3: (for singers and non-singers): Yiddish Songs: Folk and Theater, Revelry, Romance and Resistance with Michael Alpert

This workshop will present and contextualize an overview of Yiddish song repertoire from folk to theater, songs of resistance and workers songs to celebratory songs for group singing and sad songs of unrequited love. It will be interesting for singers of all levels of experience and also for those who don’t consider themselves singers but appreciate a good song or just want to enhance their understanding of Yiddish song in all its diversity.

Workshop 4:  (For instrumentalists): Playing for Dancers with Craig Judelman & Michael Alpert
This workshop will address the primary function of Klezmer music, to get people dancing and facilitate a joyful, intergenerational community experience on the dance floor. We’ll explore the two most common Ashkenazi dances, bulgar and freilekhs and focus on how to play the melody and accompaniment in a way that makes the traditional dances really rock. Musicians can join in playing certain songs for the Yiddish Dance Party later in the evening.

7:00 PM : Yiddish Dance Party! Live Music and Dance Instruction, no experience necessary! with Craig Judelman & Michael Alpert and special local guests

Yiddish (or Ashkenazi) dance is a wonderful combination of relatively simple dance steps with gestures from Ashkenazi and neighboring European cultures, designed to be accessible to people of all ages and mobilities. It’s a perfect expression of democracy and civility. Over the evening, we’ll explore Yiddish solo, line and circle dances with a focus on expression, style and connection to the music. No prior experience necessary. This will be a fun, relaxed evening where the community will have a chance to learn a bit about Yiddish dance from Sasha and Michael and enjoy klezmer music as it was meant to be enjoyed - on the dance floor!

February 2, 2025

Schedule Of Events

11:00 AM-12:30 PM : Workshop 6: A Life in Yiddish Music - Michael & Craig share how they became professional international Klezmer musicians and how they envision the future of Klezmer music.

Michael Alpert grew up in California in the 1960’s. These two experiences appear as divergent as possible and yet both entered their 20’s with a strong interest in Yiddish culture and folklore, a deep connection to diverse Slavic cultures, and an array of background knowledge that helped them understand and synthesize the music they became obsessed with. This workshop will give these two beloved Yiddish singers a chance to tell their own stories, how they came to Yiddish, who their important teachers and mentors were. They will give a picture of the very different cultural, economic and social environments that nurtured them, perspectives on Judaism and Yiddishkayt they encountered, and important revelations or understandings they gained along the way. Moderated by Craig Judelman, they will do their best to leave an opportunity for questions at the end of the session or after the concert. Don’t miss this rare chance to go behind the scenes with these international stars of the Yiddish music world!

2:00 - 3:30 PM : Concert, followed by 30-minute talk with musicians: Songs of the Jewish Ukrainian Heartland, with Michael Alpert & Craig Judelman

As war rages on in one of the cradles of Yiddish culture, we join together to sing songs and tell the stories of our shared homeland. Tales of forbidden loves, boy soldiers, the wonders of nature and looming danger, these songs of past centuries have rarely been more tragically relevant. Ukraine is a heartland of Yiddish music and the source of many of our most important collections of old-time klezmer tunes. In this program, three of the world’s most in-demand Klezmer musicians and Yiddish singers bring this diverse repertoire together with their own new songs and tunes to paint a picture of Jewish life in Ukraine then and now, and stand in solidarity with friends and colleagues who are currently fighting for their freedom.

Michael Alpert is one of the best-known contemporary Yiddish culture-bearers and has been at the forefront of the international revitalization of Yiddish music and dance since the 1970’s. A National Heritage Fellow known for his work with Brave Old World, Kapelye, and Itzhak Perlman among others, he is joined by two of the driving forces in the vibrant Berlin klezmer scene. Celebrated Latvian vocalist Sasha Lurje and American violinist/composer Craig Judelman have built their reputations on both sides of the Atlantic for their impactful work as educators and performers, particularly invested in exploring the points of intersection between Ashkenazi Jews and their historic neighbors.

After teaching and performing together at festivals and workshops around the world, from Lviv to Sa?o Paulo, Krako?w, New York and beyond, these virtuosic and captivating musicians join together to stand in solidarity and raise awareness of the beautiful culture that developed over centuries in this diverse, multi-ethnic land. Highlighting the deep connections between Ukrainian and Ashkenazi culture and the historic parallels to the current invasion, this program captures the pain and beauty that produced these rich traditions, giving a personal and artistic expression to the incomprehensible brutality of war.

Date : February 1-2, 2025

Time : 11:00 Am

Location :

Temple Beth-El,

3233 T St

Eureka, CA 95503

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