Yiddish Life Through Song

Yiddish Life Through Song is an intergenerational storytelling and music program drawn from interviews we conducted with Jewish elders, including partisans, Holocaust survivors, and their descendants. Through live music, translated Yiddish songs, and excerpts from our Existence Is Resistance puppet theatre project, we share first-hand accounts of resilience, courage, humor, and daily life during and after World War II. The program includes handcrafted rod puppets and shadow puppetry, bringing historical memory into vivid visual form, and invites audience participation through guided singing and conversation. The stories were collected, preserved, and thoughtfully translated as part of our ongoing cultural documentation work through the Traditional Jewish Music Foundation. Designed as an adult program that is appropriate for mature children, this interactive presentation offers a powerful experience of living history carried through melody, image, and shared reflection.