Yiddish Culture Activities coming up this Monday and Friday at Yiddishland and on Zoom

Dear Friend of YAAANA and Yiddishland California,

We hope you enjoyed our recent Ethiopian event. We wanted to thank everybody involved, our fabolous speakers and collaborators, volunteers, and interns, such as Sam Litman, Denise Rosenblatt, and Pamela Nathan representing our dear partner organization SAJAC. Special thanks go to Nancy Allan! We are excited to give you updates on upcoming events and classes that celebrate the beauty and depth of the Yiddish language and culture.

• This upcoming Monday, April 24, at 6.30 p.m. PT, enjoy the last class of the series “Learn Yiddish through Song” with Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. This session’s topic is Yiddish Food and Drink. Come join us in person at Yiddishland or on Zoom, and enjoy an evening of exploring Yiddish songs, and learning new Yiddish words and phrases in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. 

• On Friday, April 28, at 6:30 p.m. PT, at Yiddishland and on Zoom, we will present a popular talk by a Yiddish scholar, Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh on What is Yiddish? Who Still Speaks Yiddish? Why Should We Care? This event will provide a fascinating overview of the history and significance of Yiddish as a language and cultural tradition, and explore its current usage and revival efforts. Wine and nosh are included for in-person participants. 

• Finally, we would like to announce that we postponed our Yiddish Art Classes for Children 5-10 to May. Led by artist Preet Srivastava, the classes will be a fun and interactive way for children to explore their creativity using the resources of the Yiddishland gallery. The class will take place on Wednesdays, beginning on May 3, and are suitable for children ages 5-10 of all backgrounds. 

Finally, if you enjoy our programming, we could really use your help to keep our cultural center in downtown La Jolla for one more year.

We hope to see you at one or all of these exciting events and classes!

Enjoy the Spring!

The teams of YAAANA and Yiddishland CA

Learn Yiddish through Songs – Food and Drink

Missed the other sessions? No worries – you can still attend this one

This is the last session of the Learn Yiddish through Song series. Learn some well-known and some lesser-known Yiddish tunes with local Yiddishist Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. Imagine a night in a shtetl, learning, analyzing, singing, and schmoozing with friends — with a glass of wine in hand. The class will take place in person and on Zoom. The topic of the last session is Yiddish food and drinks.

When: This Monday, April 24, 6:30-7:30 p.m. PT(8:30-9:30 p.m. CT, 9:30-10:30 p.m. ET)

Where: At Yiddishland CA, 1128 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA, 92037, and on Zoom

Tuition: $30 per session ($25 Early Bird, available until Sunday, April 23)

Online classes on Zoom: $25 per session ($20 Early Bird, available until Sunday, April 23)

Instructor: Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh is a PhD candidate in the Slavic Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is working on her dissertation on Yiddish Theater in Communist Warsaw. Originally from Poland, Jana holds a Master of Arts degree in Polish Philology and Jewish Studies from the University of Wrocław. Jana is not only a practicing academic but also an active theater artist and critic. She is an actor, director, playwright, and producer of Yiddish theater. In October 2017, she moved to San Diego and launched the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA) and Yiddishland California.

What is Yiddish? Who still speaks Yiddish? Why should we care?

If you seek answers to these questions, this is an event for you. Learn about the origins and development of Yiddish and get your questions answered by our CEO Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. Drink a glass of wine, enjoy some nosh, and mingle with other people with an interest in the La Jolla area. This event will be broadcast on Zoom.

Cost: sliding scale, the sooner you register the less you pay!

$30 if you register by Wednesday Apr 26 for in-person attendance (nosh and drinks included)

$40 if you register between Apr 26 and 28 for in-person attendance (nosh and drinks included)

$18 for last-minute registration

When: This Friday, April 28, 2023, 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT (9:00 p.m. CT, 10:00 p.m. ET)

Where: In-person at Yiddishland and online on Zoom

Instructor: Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh is a Ph.D. candidate in the Slavic Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is working on her dissertation on Yiddish Theater in Communist Warsaw. Originally from Poland, Jana holds a Master of Arts degree in Polish Philology and Jewish Studies from the University of Wrocław. Jana is not only a practicing academic but also an active theater artist and critic. She is an actor, director, playwright, and producer of Yiddish theater. In October 2017, she moved to San Diego and launched the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA), Yiddishland CA, and the Yiddish Theater Academy.

Yiddish Art Classes for Children 5 – 10

This art class is designed for children ages 5-10 at any level and of all backgrounds. The objective is
to engage participants in the culture and heritage of Yiddishland through art.

Activities include:

• creating and composing art with Yiddish concepts
  
• exploring the life and work of artists featured at the gallery.

Please note that phones and tablets will not be allowed in the classroom.

When: Wednesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and June 7, 12.45 – 1.45 p.m. Door opens at 12.30 p.m.

Where: At Yiddishland CA, 1128 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA, 92037

Prices:

• Regular price: 6 class package available for $150, single class $30.

Class materials are included in the price.

Instructor: Preet Srivastava

Hailing from NYC, Preet Srivastava is a painter whose art has been featured in galleries throughout the US, Jamaica, and India. She attended the University of Redlands and the Academy of Art University (SF). She owned and operated Galoka Gallery (La Jolla, CA) and was a founding co-creator of the Governor’s Island Art Fair (NY). She was the featured artist in the documentary “Bombay to Brooklyn”, produced by Carol Ryavec. Preet has been teaching art classes for kids and adults for over 20 years.