NYTF celebrates ‘A Yiddish Renaissance’ and Zalmen Mlotek’s 70th birthday

On Monday, July 26, beginning at 2 pm, more than 140 actors, singers, and musicians from across globe will come together remotely with the award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) for A Yiddish Renaissance: A Virtual Concert Celebration. Historically, the “Yiddish Renaissance” began when the children of Holocaust survivors, who grew up in Yiddish speaking homes and attended Yiddish summer camps, went on to become leaders and educators at the forefront of the klezmer and cultural revitalization of the 1970s. It continues to flourish today, with NYTF and other organizations dedicated to dedicated to preserving and celebrating Yiddish language and tradition.

This month’s benefit event will be filled with music, excerpts from NYTF’s critically acclaimed and award-winning productions, including Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, The Golden Bride (Di Goldene Kale), On Second Avenue, Yiddish Pirates of Penzance (Di Yam Gazlonime), Amerike The Golden Land, Soul to Soul, and Kids and Yiddish, sneak peeks at upcoming productions, appearances by four generations of some of the world’s most renowned Yiddish performers, ages 8 to 89, from across the US, Israel, England, Germany, Scotland, and The Netherlands, and special greetings from stars Emanuel (Manny) Azenberg, Judy Blazer, Joel Grey, Barry Manilow, Mandy Patinkin, Itzhak Perlman, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Zalmen Mlotek. Photo courtesy of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.

The online special will also pay tribute to NYTF Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek in celebration of his 70th birthday and 50-year career devoted to Yiddish music and theater, which includes bringing Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed Joel Grey, to the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, and then transferring the hit musical to Off-Broadway’s Stage 42, on West 42nd Street.

Among the highlights of the show is a reunion of the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and many of the numbers will feature a virtual 30-piece orchestra. The event, produced by NYTF Associate Artistic Director Motl Didner, has musical arrangements by Frank London and D. Zisl Slepovitch. For the full line-up and creative team, visit the NYTF website.

A Yiddish Renaissance: A Virtual Concert Celebration plays on Monday, July 26, at 2 pm, and will be available to view through 2 pm, Friday, July 30. Streaming is free, but registration is required and donations are welcome, to help support National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s programming.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I registered for your July 26, online concert celebration of “A Yiddish renaissance ” and was unable to access it on my computer or ipad. Seems there is some kind of a problem

    Marianne Tulman
    [email protected]

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