As New York City continues to reopen, the Museum Of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present a summer filled with movies, music and more, welcoming audiences back in person for concerts in Battery Park, family programs and viewings of the epic, nine-hour film, “Shoah.”
“We are excited for the return of live, in-person events,” said Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger. “This past year was extremely difficult for the cultural sector and for our fellow New Yorkers, but we are looking forward to gathering together again, honoring our traditions and sharing our beautiful Jewish culture with residents and visitors to the city. We are resilient.”
In addition to the screening of Shoah, the Museum of Jewish Heritage is offering other in-person events throughout the summer, including an ongoing outdoor concert series featuring Music of the Jewish Diaspora, multiple family events geared towards children, as well as additional film offerings to be announced later in the summer.
In-person summer highlights include:
“Shoah”
June 13-24 | Multiple Times
Over a decade in the making, Claude Lanzmann’s nine-and-a-half-hour film “Shoah” is a monumental investigation of the unthinkable: the murder of more than six million Jews by the Nazis. Using no archival footage, Lanzmann instead focuses on first-person testimonies—of survivors, former Nazis, and other witnesses. The Museum will host the first in-person screening of “Shoah” held anywhere in almost a decade. The film will be split into four parts and screened over a period of two weeks in the Museum’s newly-renovated theater, Edmond J. Safra Hall. Screenings are $5 each for Museum members or $10 each for non-members.
Music Of The Jewish Diaspora: Sharabi Featuring Frank London And Deep Singh With Sarah Gordon
Thursday, June 10, 2021 | 6:30 P.M. ET
Sharabi is a Yiddish-Punjabi bhangra-funk-klezmer party band, fronted by trumpeter Frank London, a founding member of the Grammy-winning group the Klezmatics, and New York’s top-call Indian percussionist, Deep Singh. The Museum, Yiddish New York, and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance will co-present an outdoor summer concert in Wagner Park featuring Sharabi and Yiddish singer Sarah Gordon.
SMÍSH GEMÍSH
Sunday, June 13, 2021 | 11:30 A.M. ET
SMÍSH GEMÍSH is Sarah Myerson (SM), a Yiddish dancer and an ordained cantor, and Ilya Shneyveys (ÍSH), a klezmer multi-instrumentalist. They put the ear in learning, the now in knowledge, and the oy in joy. Children of all ages and heritages are invited for an afternoon with SMÍSH in Edmond J. Safra Hall as they mix (GEMÍSH) song, dance, games, and stories, and learn a bit of Yiddish along the way.
Music Of The Jewish Diaspora: The Beary Brothers Featuring Psoy Korolenko, Zisl Slepovitch, And Ilya Shneyveys
Thursday, June 24, 2021 | 6:30 P.M. ET
The Beary Brothers is a supergroup of three emigre musicians from the former Soviet Union. Psoy Korolenko, one of Russia’s leading contemporary bards, is joined by the spellbinding multi-instrumentalists Zisl Slepovich (Litvakus/Folksbiene) and accordionist Ilya Shneyveys (Forshpil). As The Beary Brothers, this eclectic progressive folk trio explores a diverse range of cultures, languages, musical styles from the Renaissance through modernity, and geographies from Andalusia to the Maghreb and the Russian steppe. The Museum and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance will co-present this outdoor summer concert in Wagner Park.
Oy Vey! Klezmer For Kids!
Sunday, June 27, 2021 | 1:00 P.M. ET
Sruli and Lisa’s Family Band features internationally known Klezmer personalities Sruli Dresdner and Lisa Mayer, their son Zach Mayer, and 12-year-old twins Johnny and Charlie. The family plays violin, accordion, clarinet, percussion, saxophone, and a bunch of wackier instruments—and they sing and dance and tell Jewish jokes.= “Oy Vey! Klezmer for Kids!,” is an afternoon with Sruli and Lisa’s Family Band intended for kids of all ages and their families. The program features all kinds of Jewish music: Klezmer, Hasidic, Israeli, and Nigunim (wordless melodies), some old and some new. This program will be held live in the Museum’s Edmond J. Safra Hall.
Music Of The Jewish Diaspora: The Noga Band Featuring Avram Pengas
Sunday, July 11, 2021 | 3:00 P.M. ET
New York music legend Avram Pengas is a virtuoso guitarist, bouzouki player, and singer whose music is rooted in the Mediterranean tavernas of Athens. Born into a musical family of Romaniote and Sephardic Jewish-Greek heritage, Pengas was raised in Jaffa. A budding career as a performer in Greek clubs in Israel brought him to New York in 1970 to participate in the legendary scene of Turkish-owned clubs along Eighth Avenue that were the pulse of Hell’s Kitchen from the 1920s to the 1970s. A popular performer in the local Greek and Sephardic/Mizrachi communities, Pengas and his Noga Band cook up a multicultural stew of rhythms and modes spanning Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Israel, and the Levant. The Museum and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance will present this outdoor summer concert in Wagner Park.
Pickle Soup And Other Tales For The Curious
Sunday, August 8, 2021 | 1:00 P.M. ET
Puppeteer and eccentric hostess Jenny Romaine and Jewish time wheel technician Elana June Margolis present “Pickle Soup and Other Tales for the Curious,” a puppet show for those who are serious about fun. This program, intended for kids of all ages and their families, will be held live in the Museum’s Edmond J. Safra Hall.
Sarah Aroeste With Shai Bachar: Ladino Music From Yesterday To Today, Live From Edmond J. Safra Hall
Sunday, August 8, 2021 | 3:00 P.M. ET
International Ladino singer/songwriter Sarah Aroeste draws upon her family roots from Macedonia and Greece as she performs traditional and original Ladino songs in this special multimedia program. Joined on piano by longtime Israeli collaborator Shai Bachar, Aroeste weaves stories from Sephardic history together with song, taking the audience through centuries of rich Sephardic experiences from the Eastern Mediterranean right up to the present. The Museum and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance will co-present this concert in the Museum’s Edmond J. Safra Hall.
Nu Jewish Storylab
Sunday, August 22, 2021 | 1:00 P.M. ET
Nu Words is Tracy Einstein and Richie Barshay, two music and theater artists with a passion for arts education. Their engaging performances of storytelling, poetry, drumming, and movement dazzle audiences and young people worldwide. The Museum will present the premiere of Nu Words’ “Nu Jewish Storylab,” a rhythm and movement exploration of Jewish children’s stories, from traditional to cutting edge. This program, intended for kids of all ages and their families, will be held live in the Museum’s Edmond J. Safra Hall.
