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YIDDISH CULTURE WEEKEND 2026
£15.00 – £65.00
FRIDAY – SUNDAY
28-30.August.26
SOAS /
THE HORSE HOSPITAL /
LEO BAECK COLLEGE /
JAMBOREE
Yiddish Culture Weekend 2026 brings together music, song, dance, literature, language, archives, film, workshops and shared cultural discovery across London.
Taking place from 28–30 August 2026, the weekend celebrates the richness, creativity and contemporary life of Yiddish language and culture, bringing together artists, musicians, scholars, dancers, singers and cultural practitioners.
JOIN US ON SUNDAY 30 AUGUST AT SOAS
At the heart of the weekend is the main Learning Day on Sunday 30 August at SOAS, University of London — a full programme of workshops, talks, screenings, participatory sessions and performances spanning Yiddish music, song, dance, poetry, literature, history and contemporary practice.
Sessions will run throughout the day from 10am–7pm and are open to a wide range of participants, from complete beginners and cultural enthusiasts to instrumentalists, singers and language learners. Your SOAS Learning Day pass gives you access to the full programme, allowing you to build your own schedule and move between sessions throughout the day.
Whether you are completely new to Yiddish culture or already deeply engaged, Yiddish Culture Weekend is designed to encourage curiosity, participation and connection.
Yidishe Kavehayzer Iber Der Velt — Yiddish Coffee Houses Around the World
Free & Open to the Public / Friday August 28th / 10:00-13:00 / Leo Baeck College
Step into a Yiddish café. Explore rare journals, books and sheet music, with live music, readings and plenty of shmoozing at Leo Baeck Library. A relaxed, immersive journey through a century of Yiddish culture — no prior knowledge of Yiddish required.
Klezmer Jam at Jamboree
Free & Open to the Public / Saturday August 29th / 14:00-17:00
Do you like klezmer music? Come along to play, to listen, to dance, to drink great coffee and eat yummy cakes. Saturday 29th August, 2-5pm, Jamboree in Kings Cross, London, UK.
The best and friendliest Klezmer jam session in town. All instruments and all levels of ability welcome.
Froyen Lider: Yiddish Zingeray of Songs By and About Women
Sunday August 30th / 10:00 / Olive Ivy
A vibrant, beginner-friendly Yiddish sing-along celebrating women’s and gender-diverse voices. Learn the sounds, follow the lyrics, and join a joyful chorus of folk and theatre favourites.
Introduction to Yiddish Dance
Sunday August 30th / 10:00 / Sonia Gollance
Traditional East European Jewish dances combine individual expression with communal choreography. The Yiddish dance repertoire includes uniquely Jewish dances, East European national dances and popular ballroom dances. During this session led by Yiddish dance scholar Dr Sonia Gollance (UCL) with live accompaniment by Adina Presman, you’ll learn some of these classic party dances and what they tell us about Yiddish culture. Suitable for dancers of all ages and skill levels, including absolute beginners. Participants are invited to stay for the KlezDanceJam.
KlezDanceJam
Sunday August 30th / Free & Open to the Public / 11:00 / Sonia Gollance
London’s new KlezDanceJam bring together Klezmer musicians, dancers and singers on Sunday afternoons to play music, dance and sing Yiddish songs together. This collaboration between members of UCL’s Department of Hebrew & Jewish Studies, the London KlezJammers and the SOAS Jewish Society fosters awareness of East European Jewish folk performance in an inclusive, interdisciplinary space. Participants in the Yiddish Culture Weekend are invited to come play, dance and sing with us. You can brush up on your dance moves beforehand with the Introduction to Yiddish Dance.
Contemporary Yiddish Poetry
Sunday August 30th / 11:15 / Katerina Kuznetsova & Beruriah Wiegand
An engaging exploration of contemporary Yiddish poetry, featuring poets Katerina Kuznetsova and Beruriah Wiegand in conversation about publishing today, translation, and why writers continue to choose Yiddish in the 21st century. The session includes live readings in Yiddish with English translations.
Yiddish language workshop
Sunday August 30th / 11:15 / Aleph and Motl
Join the directors of Jargon for a practice-led discussion around the history of the Yiddish language and the complicated politics of translating it. All welcome from complete beginners to longtime learners.
Yiddish Song and the Sounds of the Medieval Mediterranean and Balkan Diaspora
Sunday August 30th / 11:30 / Isadora Pulman
Enter the space of the musical diaspora. This workshop brings the vocal techniques of the medieval Mediterranean into contact with new Yiddish song and the words of beloved Yiddish poets, drawing together Ashkenazi cantorial ornamentation, Balkan harmony, melodies of the wider diaspora and the art of writing new Yiddish song. Singers of all levels are welcome — sheet music will be used, but there will be plenty of learning by ear too. Come prepared to lock in and drone with your neighbour.
Advanced Klezmer String Class: Style, Accompaniment, Arrangement
Sunday August 30th / 11:00 / Fran & Flora
A high-energy klezmer strings intensive led by Fran & Flora, diving deep into bowing, groove and creative ensemble arranging. For confident string players ready to sharpen technique, explore melody-to-bassline roles, and build a rich collective sound.
Golem Rising: The Afterlives of Yiddish Literature
Sunday August 30th / 14:00 / Susie Gordon Yavetz
From lost readership to lasting legacy, discover how Yiddish literature has been reborn through translation and reinterpretation. This lecture explores how these powerful works continue to evolve, resonate and speak to us today.
Yiddish Choir in Style
Sunday August 30th / 14:00 / Polina Shepherd
A joyful, full-throttle Yiddish choral workshop blending folk-song soul, SATB arrangements and the power of traditional modes. Warm up with nigunim, dive into style, language and harmony, and raise the roof together. Open to singers ready to learn by ear and work with written music.
Klezmer Tune Club: Dive into a Tune
Sunday August 30th / 14:00 / Daniel Mawson & Richard Fay
The Klezmer Tune Club brings together musicians (of any level, background, or instrument) to explore one tune in a variety of ways in one session: archive and modern recordings, history, culture, musical analysis, discussion, learning by ear and from sheet music, chords, rhythm, ensemble roles, and arranging. The aim is to build an ad hoc arrangement of it by the end of the session, and have had an holistic appreciation of, and participation in, a tune from the rich klezmer tradition.
Our approach is to be inclusive to learners of different abilities and skillsets in a way that pays attention to historical, cultural, and musical sensitivities. Regardless of knowledge or experience, there is a role for someone in Manchester’s Klezmer Tune Club.
The Klezmer Tune Club has been a popular monthly session in the Manchester community that was developed by Daniel Mawson and Richard Fay in 2022, based on their University Ensemble pedagogy, with Social Responsibility funding from The University of Manchester, and support from JMI and the Manchester Jewish Museum.
Jewish Whitechapel: An Archive Workshop
Sunday August 30th / 14:00 and 15:15 / David Mazower
A hands-on dive into rare Yiddish cultural treasures from David Mazower’s extraordinary personal collection — from anarchist newspapers and theatre handbills to photographs, postcards and unexpected gems of Jewish East End history. An interactive workshop for anyone curious about the material culture of Yiddish London.
Postkartl-klub
Sunday August 30th / 15:15 / Osian Evans Sharma
A creative, hands-on workshop exploring High Holy Day postcard traditions through real Yiddish cards, their greetings and the stories they carry. Participants will read historic postcards together, then design and write their own cards in Yiddish.
Song Lab for Singers with or without Bands
Sunday August 30th / 15:45 / Polina Shepherd
Bring your songs to life, receive professional feedback, and uncover fresh perspectives and bold new ideas in a lively, supportive session. Explore interpretation, arrangement and performance in an open workshop for solo singers and bands alike.
A Fun Guide to Conversational Klezmer / The Alte Kashe, the Eternal Question
Sunday August 30th / 15:45 / Merlin Shepherd
In this hands on and playful workshop, we’ll be exploring and practising musical “conversation”. Using klezmer as a medium to chat, discuss or even argue in the super-expressive style we know and love. And not forgetting the most important aspect of any conversation; listening.
The Dybbuk: Film Screening + Lecture
Free & Open to the Public / Sunday August 30th / 16:45 -19:15 / Michelle Bernstein
Enter the world of the Dybbuk — where folklore meets modernity and the dead speak through the living. This lecture explores the enduring power of the dybbuk as a figure of religion, grief and social change, followed by a screening of the classic 1937 film The Dybbuk. Please arrive early, as admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Not That Kind of Hora: Moldovan – Yiddish Tunes for Playing and Dancing
Sunday August 30th / 17:30 / Pieter Sint Nicolaas
Discover the shared roots and cross-influences of Yiddish and Moldovan dance. Play, move and explore these vibrant traditions in a dynamic, hands-on session. Musicians and dancers are both welcome.
Final performance – Fran & Flora present a night of contemporary Yiddish music, feat. Merlin & Polina Shepherd + Ilana Cravitz’s Tish Nigunim String Band
Open to the Public – Separate Ticket Required / Sunday / 19:15-22:00 / The Horse Hospital
Experimental-folk duo Fran & Flora curate a special night at The Horse Hospital celebrating contemporary Yiddish culture and showcasing some of the UK’s most acclaimed klezmer artists.
Fran & Flora present brand new material from their upcoming third album; klezmer clarinettist Merlin Shepherd performs a collection of original compositions; and fiddler Ilana Cravitz shares a first public outing of selected tunes from Beregovsky’s Tish Nign collection.
JMI Supporter Members receive 20% off.
