Traveling Talks

ייִדישלאַנד אַרום דער װעלט

Journey Through Yiddish Culture—See Where We're Going Next!

A promotional poster reading What was and what is Yiddishland in English and in Yiddish, with an image of an ocean cove in the background

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Yiddish language and culture are seemingly unquenchable springs of inspiration for the analytical and the creative mind. Contemporary artists are able to draw from these multifaceted texts, images and memories to create meaningful art today. Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh – the founder of the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA) – will take you through a brief history of Yiddish, Yiddishland, and the imperative of its legacy for imagining a sustainable creative community.

A photograph of Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh

Presenter: Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh The founder of the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA) – will take you through a brief history of Yiddish, Yiddishland, and the imperative of its legacy for imagining a sustainable creative community.

Suzanne Kutner, Marbella Jewish Community

“Puedes sacar a un judío de un shtetl pero no puedes sacar un shtetl de un judío.”    

El domingo seis de abril, la Comunidad judía de Marbella acogió una conferencia única sobre el Yiddish, impartida por Jana Mazurkiewicz, fundadora de YAAANA, la organización sin ánimo de lucro, Yiddish Arts and Academics Association de América del norte.

La conferencia, que incluyó diapositivas y música, desmintió el mito de que el yiddish es una lengua muerta, mostrando a un público cautivado que, de hecho, es una lengua más que viva.

Desde sus orígenes en la región francesa de Alsacia hasta la publicación del primer libro en Yiddish Bovo-Buch de Elia Levita Bachur, Jana explicó que en 1.908 el Yiddish fue elegido “idioma nacional del pueblo judío” en la Conferencia de Czernowitz, lo que elevó su estatus y condujo finalmente al Yiddishism, un esfuerzo cultural y lingüístico que busca preservar esta lengua y el rico patrimonio cultural que la rodea.

Se espera que Yiddishland, el museo itinerante de YAAANA, se establezca en la Costa del Sol en un futuro no muy lejano, para ofrecer eventos educativos y artísticos para todas las edades, difundiendo la alegría del Yiddishkeit a través de clases, obras de arte, y obras de teatro. Su objetivo principal es recrear el ambiente de los shtetl, los pequeños pueblos con oficios que abundaban en la Europa del este antes del Holocausto.

Jana concluyó su instructiva charla con una famosa canción Yiddish titulada “Bubas” (patatas de la gente pobre) invitando a todos los presentes a unirsey experimentar la emoción que ofrece este idioma tan expresivo.

“You can take a Jew out of a shtetl but you can’t take a shtetl out of a Jew.”   

” On Sunday, April 6th, the Marbella Jewish Community hosted a unique lecture on Yiddish language and culture, given by Jana Mazurkiewicz. Jana is the founder and director of the non- profit organization Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA).

The lecture “What was and what is Yiddishland” included slides and music and dispelled the myth that Yiddish is a dead language, showing a captive audience that it is in fact very much alive.

In an overview of the language’s 1,000 year history, the audience was taken to its origins in the Alsace region of France and through the publication of the first Yiddish book Bovo-Buch by Elia Levita Bachur. Then, Jana explained how in 1908 Yiddish was voted “a national language of the Jewish people” at the Czernowitz Conference, elevating its status and leading eventually to Yiddishism, a cultural and linguistic effort which strives to preserve this language and the rich cultural heritage that surrounds it. (…)

Jana concluded her very informative lecture with a famous Yiddish song, “Bulbes” (poor people’s potatoes), inviting all those present to join in and experience the joy that is this truly expressive language.”

Suzanne Kutner, a member of a Marbella Jewish Community, Spain

“You can take a Jew out of a shtetl but you can’t take a shtetl out of a Jew.”    

” On Sunday, April 6th, the Marbella Jewish Community hosted a unique lecture on Yiddish language and culture, given by Jana Mazurkiewicz. Jana is the founder and director of the non- profit organization Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA).

The lecture “What was and what is Yiddishland” included slides and music and dispelled the myth that Yiddish is a dead language, showing a captive audience that it is in fact very much alive.

In an overview of the language’s 1,000 year history, the audience was taken to its origins in the Alsace region of France and through the publication of the first Yiddish book Bovo-Buch by Elia Levita Bachur. Then, Jana explained how in 1908 Yiddish was voted “a national language of the Jewish people” at the Czernowitz Conference, elevating its status and leading eventually to Yiddishism, a cultural and linguistic effort which strives to preserve this language and the rich cultural heritage that surrounds it. (…)

Jana concluded her very informative lecture with a famous Yiddish song, “Bulbes” (poor people’s potatoes), inviting all those present to join in and experience the joy that is this truly expressive language.”

“Puedes sacar a un judío de un shtetl pero no puedes sacar un shtetl de un judío.”   

El domingo seis de abril, la Comunidad judía de Marbella acogió una conferencia única sobre el Yiddish, impartida por Jana Mazurkiewicz, fundadora de YAAANA, la organización sin ánimo de lucro, Yiddish Arts and Academics Association de América del norte.

La conferencia, que incluyó diapositivas y música, desmintió el mito de que el yiddish es una lengua muerta, mostrando a un público cautivado que, de hecho, es una lengua más que viva.

Desde sus orígenes en la región francesa de Alsacia hasta la publicación del primer libro en Yiddish Bovo-Buch de Elia Levita Bachur, Jana explicó que en 1.908 el Yiddish fue elegido “idioma nacional del pueblo judío” en la Conferencia de Czernowitz, lo que elevó su estatus y condujo finalmente al Yiddishism, un esfuerzo cultural y lingüístico que busca preservar esta lengua y el rico patrimonio cultural que la rodea.

Se espera que Yiddishland, el museo itinerante de YAAANA, se establezca en la Costa del Sol en un futuro no muy lejano, para ofrecer eventos educativos y artísticos para todas las edades, difundiendo la alegría del Yiddishkeit a través de clases, obras de arte, y obras de teatro. Su objetivo principal es recrear el ambiente de los shtetl, los pequeños pueblos con oficios que abundaban en la Europa del este antes del Holocausto.

Jana concluyó su instructiva charla con una famosa canción Yiddish titulada “Bubas” (patatas de la gente pobre) invitando a todos los presentes a unirsey experimentar la emoción que ofrece este idioma tan expresivo.

SOME OF OUR PAST TALKS

We can see Jana promoting her upcoming talk

NYC, New York

We can see a peacock and a goat, as they are symbols of Yiddish language and culture.

Colorado, Denver

We can see a portrait of Leah Hofman.

Boston, Massachusetts

An image of an audience listening to Bringing Yiddishland to Andalusia!

Marbella, Spain

jewishbialystok.pl Interview with Jana and Agnieszka Dąbrowska

Białystok, Poland

ASV Event poster for Yiddishland talk with Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh.

Valencia, Spain

a photograph of a synagogue

Phoenix, Arizona

photograph of a synagogue

Santa Fe, New Mexico

a photograph of a cultural center with a piano and book shelves

Phoenix, Arizona

a promotion poster with a photograph of Jana

Tucson, Arizona

photograph of a synagogue

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Please see our Events Calendar and Past Events