It can be a frightening time to be Jewish in America today. With threats of violence and hate crimes on the rise every day, the Jewish community has seen some difficult times as of late. Professor Ana Shternshis and Singer-Songwriter Psoy Korolenko are doing their best to remember an important part of Jewish history during this difficult time by bringing back to life “lost” Yiddish songs from World War II.
In “Last Yiddish Heroes: Lost and Found Songs of Soviet Jews during World War II,” old Yiddish songs that were kept hidden by the Soviet Government are performed live for an audience.
The audience will get a fascinating glimpse into a little-known part of Jewish history through a unique experience of story – telling, and the performing of historical Jewish songs.
UW – Milwaukee Jewish Studies Professor Joel Berkowitz played a pivotal role in the performance coming to the UWM Campus. “This program provides an exciting opportunity to learn about a previously all-but-unknown chapter in the story of Yiddish culture,” says Berkowitz. “To put it simply, ‘Yiddish Heroes’ has three great ingredients: the narrator, the performer, and the material itself.”
Berkowitz spoke about the importance of remembering Jewish History as well. “Yiddish culture provides a window into the experiences of millions of Jews, on several continents, going back a number of centuries, and covering all the major historical developments that affected them,” said Professor Berkowitz.
Yiddish culture has existed for around a millennium, and was the major language of Central European and Eastern European Jews, according to Berkowitz,
“Yiddish spread to other parts of the world through mass migrations,” said Berkowitz. Berkowitz also explained that Yiddish was the mother tongue for the majority of the ancestors of American Jews.
Professor Ana Shternshis will be presenting the lecture for the performance and is hopeful that the event will make an impression on the audience.
“The audience should expect to laugh, to be outraged, to cry and to be fascinated,” said Shternshis. “Everyone will recognize something old, learn something new, and will hopefully be inspired as well.”
Professor Shternshis saw the great need for this project while working on it at the University of Toronto.
“The combination of historical research, and musical performance needed for this project forces us to engage in the constant creative discourse,” said Shternshis. “They give us a chance to hear what Jewish amateur singers and composers, often women and children, sang during the war.”
The event organizers hope UWM students who are not interested in this specific type of history will be impacted and moved by the event. Berkowitz expressed his desire for all students on campus to take part in cultural events like these.
“Just bring your curiosity, and I’m confident that you’ll leave the event both moved and enriched by the experience,” said Berkowitz.
April 5th, 7 p.m. at the UWM Music Recital Hall (MUS 175). The event is free.