The JMI International Forum for Yiddish Culture (JMI IFYC) is a platform to celebrate Yiddish language, literature, music, song and dance and make it accessible to a new generation. Yiddish culture flourished in London's East End and in other parts of the UK and the world from the turn of, to the mid-20th century. This heritage was nearly obliterated in Europe in the Holocaust now in the 21st Century it is fast disappearing.
IFYC Aims
1. To encourage the study of Yiddish language and so create access to the literature and culture
2. To encourage the study and performance of Yiddish song and Klezmer music
3. To encourage the study and performance of Yiddish theatre
4. To encourage new creativity in the arts in Yiddish
5. To encourage and promote collaborative Yiddish language and culture events and activities
6. To provide information on all Yiddish institutions in the UK and Europe
7. To provide information on all Yiddish related events in the UK. Europe and world wide
8. To create collaborative projects with Yiddish Institutions in London, UK Europe and world wide
9. To assist in the collecting and appraising of any Yiddish source material (letters from Eastern Europe, diaries, literary writings) in any small institutions or in private hands
10. To document the contents and whereabouts of any special collections, archives in the UK
11. To encourage the exploration of Yiddish culture of London 's East End and other UK centres
12. To assess social change in Britain by looking at how much Yiddish was spoken in the last century and how much still remains, to understand the process of language transference
13. To provide access in the UK, to the best experts, practitioners and teachers world wide
14. To promote excellence in all ventures
15. To raise appropriate funds to support these aims.
IFYC Activities to achieve these aims
1. Collect data and create accessible information networks of Institutions
in the UK and abroad
2. Collect data and create accessible information networks of Yiddish
language and music activities in London (eg. the London 'Svive' group,
Friends of Yiddish, JMI Ot Azoy! and JMI KlezFest, Spiro Ark classes and
Yiddish projects etc) also Europe and America and elsewhere
3. Help to promote existing local groups, Svive, Friends of Yiddish, JEECS,
Springboard
4. invite top professionals in Yiddish culture to visit the uk for teaching
and performance
5. Collect data of lecture topics and lecturers and performance programmes
that will travel
6. Compile databases of UK people and Institutes interested in Yiddish
Culture
7. Compile and promote a programme of new and existing regular or one
off events: song and Klezmer workshops, language classes, lectures, seminars,
conferences, concerts, films etc
8. Compile and distribute regular emailed and or printed information and
Newsletters
9. Review books and recordings
10. Create performance opportunities for professional and amateur artists
11. Offer translation services
12. Make contact with communities who have Yiddish as a first language
13. Set up the Yiddish Road show. Travel to different centres and local
people bring their Yiddish memorabilia for assessment and discussion
14. Create Yiddish Cultural evenings, days or weekends, with workshops
and lectures in language, literature and song and offer these to other
Institutes eg Arts Centres, Schools, Colleges or Limmuds (Jewish Study
days) around the county. (Contents could include: Talks eg. What is Yiddish,
Aspects of Y. in the East End, Y. theatre. David Mazower; Yiddish humour,
Dave Schneider; Learn some basics in one session Helen Beer, Haike Beruriah
Weigand; About Y. folk song Ruti Halvani, Storytelling/Y. folklore Derek
Reid, About some London Yiddish writers, Heather Valencia; Song workshops,
Ruti Halvani and Judith Silver; music workshops, Merlin Shepherd, Sophie
Solomon; Films, Modern and vintage, about the subject; Performances 2
strands: bring international stars and encourage local performers.
IFYC People
Directorate
Vice Presidents:
Michael Grade CBE, Chairman of Camelot and former Head of Channel 4 TV
Lord Janner of Braunstone QC
Zalmen Mlotek, Executive Director Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre, New York
JMI IFYC International Advisory Board
Members chosen for the Advisory Board of the Forum are some of the most,
active, internationally acclaimed, researchers, teachers and performers
in the field:
Michael Alpert, musical researcher, teacher and performer (Yiddish song/violin)
New York
Pesakh Fiszman, teacher, Yiddish language and culture, Columbia, New York
Itzik Gottesman, Yiddish folklorist, writer and editor of the Yiddish
Forverts, New York
Yitskhok Niborski, Chairman of Medem Bibliotheque at the Centre for Yiddish
Culture, Paris.
Lecturer in Yiddish, 'Institut de Langues et Civilizations Orientales'
, University of Paris, 7.
Arnold Schwartzman, award-winning filmmaker and designer, Los Angeles
Joseph Sherman, ex South Africa now Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish
Studies
Lea Szlanger, actress and singer, Yiddish Radio and press, Israel Iosif
Vaisman Moderator of the Mendele list and Shtetl Website Michael Wex,
Yiddish language and culture teacher and performer, Toronto
Coordinators
Helen Beer, Lecturer in Yiddish UCL and JMI Director of Yiddish Studies
Chairman
David Schneider, Writer, actor, director and comedian
Michael Joseph, Bookseller and café proprietor
Betty Sagon Collick, musician and stage producer
Geraldine Auerbach, Director Jewish Music Institute
Haike Beruriah Wiegand (Yiddish scholar, poet and translator, Information
Officer IFYC)
Ruti Halvani (opera and Yiddish singer, Vocal Consultant JMI)
IFYC Collaborations
IFYC will be establishing collaborative activities with
Chicago Public Library Jewish music Archives USA
Dept of Hebrew and Jewish studies University College London
The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre, New York
JEECS
The Jewish Museum
Jewish Renaissance British Jewish culture magazine
Judaica Music Rescue Project Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Medem Biblioteque, Maison de la Culture Yiddish, Paris
SOAS Language Centre University of London
SOAS Department of Music University of London
Southampton University
The Spiro Ark
YIVO New York
Pennsylvania Yiddish Song Archives Bob and Molly Freedman, University
of Pennsylvania
JMI International Forum for Yiddish Culture
SOAS University of London
last modified: December 14, 2009
 Michael Grade CBE launching the International Forum for Yiddish Culture July 2003 |
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