Lilye Weitzman & Yoyne Sidman: New Yiddish Songs from Boston

Interview with Lily (ליליע) Weitzman and Jonah (יונה) Sidman, who recently led a workshop to teach songs created by them and others active in Yiddish language and culture activities around the Boston Workers Circle. The Yiddish Voice was on hand to record four songs sung by participants in the workshop they led, titled נײַע לידער פֿון באָסטאָן (New Songs from Boston), presented at the 2023 Yidish-Vokh, which took place earlier in August in Copake, NY, and was sponsored by the organization Yugntruf-Youth for Yiddish. These songs, as well as selected highlights from the workshop, were presented on this show. The four songs are (1) Levone-Mol by Lily Weitzmann; (2) In Hartsn Zol Undz Akhdes Zayn, Yiddish lyrics by Jonah Sidman, a translation of Let Union Be in All Our Hearts (traditional); (3) A Bletele Vert a Bletl by Adah Hetko; and (4) Eyn Kol, Yiddish lyrics by Linda Gritz, based on One Voice by Ruth Moody of The Wailin' Jennys. Weitzman and Sidman's creative Yiddish activities are an outgrowth of Di Nest, an incubator for Yiddish creative projects. For more information, visit https://circleboston.org/yiddish-community-informal-learning/#dinest.

Music:

Ben Zimet: Summertime

Levyosn: Fisher Lid

Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird: Arbeter Froyen

Mandy Patinkin: American Tune

Leybele Waldman: Der Nayer Yor

Aaron Lebedeff & Alexander Olshanetsky Orchestra: Vos Ken Yu Makh Es Iz Amerike

Seymour Rexite: Battle Hymn of the Republic (in Yiddish)

Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz

Air date: August 30, 2023