The Yiddish Folklife Festival of the Finger Lakes, an arts and cultural festival, will take place the weekend of April 25-27 at the Lifelong Community Center in downtown Ithaca and at other venues. Featuring live klezmer music, folk dancing, a community potluck, cooking and cultural workshops, a nature walk, an academic lecture, an open mic and other community events, the intergenerational, all-ages festival is open to the public, including those new to Yiddish music and culture. More information and tickets can be accessed through the festival’s linktree at linktr.ee/yfffl.
In partnership with the Jewish Studies Program at Cornell University, Jessica Kirzane will offer a talk on her work recovering and translating Yiddish women’s literature on Friday, April 25, at 4:30 pm. This will be followed by a dinnertime Community Potluck and Instrumental Klezmer Jam at Lifelong. Musicians of all levels and non-musicians are invited to partake in the community event.
On Saturday, April 26, at 10:30 am, there will be a Yiddish Nature Walk at Stewart Park led by Yiddish language professor Dovid Forman and ecologist Sorke Schneider. No previous Yiddish language knowledge is required. That afternoon, at 2 pm, the festival will continue at Lifelong with the Ashkenazi cooking workshop “Dough: Sweet and Savory,” which will be led by community chef Aron Gutman and Jewish food maven Sorke Schneider. Participants will make from scratch knishes and rugelakh, two traditional Eastern European Jewish foods.
At 4:30 pm, there will be a Yiddish Song Workshop, where participants will learn a variety of folk songs, art songs, protest songs and contemporary Yiddish songs, led by Abi Gezunt, a local Yiddish singing group that meets weekly in the home of Deborah Berman. No Yiddish or singing experience necessary. The night will end with a community Open Mic at 7 pm where poetry, songs, skits, comedy and other material will be welcome in any language.
On Sunday, April 27, at 11 am, there will be a Jewish Crafts Workshop where participants will learn the traditional art of Jewish paper cutting taught by artist and puppet-maker Edith McCrae at Lifelong. The final event will take place at 2 pm in the Library Place Community Room, where dance leader Avia Moore will teach a Yiddish Folk Dance Workshop backed by the Klezmer Ensemble of Cornell University. After the class, there will be a Klezmer Dance Party to close the festival. All abilities and ages are welcome and physical accommodations will be made for any who need it.