Tears, Joy and Hope: Yiddish Songs Written in the Jewish Ghetto

During a time when millions of Jews were facing death, music found a way into their lives. They wrote poetry and composed music as they lived, fought and died in the ghettos across Europe. When Harriet Bennish first came across these rarely performed songs, she made herself a promise that she would do whatever she could to help this music live on not let it be forgotten in the rush of modern life. This promise has become her passion. She set out to learn all that she could about the songs, the Jewish poets and composers who created them and to share that knowledge. The music tells the story of everyday life in the ghetto. They are performed as they were written in the rich, colorful and complex Yiddish language. Harriet shares historical pictures along with the English translations of the songs projected on a screen. Because of her well-researched history for each song, the audience comes away with a rare insight into ghetto life -- the suffering, the fears, and the hope. A professional musical ensemble, consisting of accordionist and cellist, accompanies Harriets beautiful voice. The performance creates the mood of a people living in those desperate times. Join us at Der Nister on Yom HaShoah, April 24th at 7 pm, to listen to this powerful music together. Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Press-Telegram