New York Sings Yiddish! in Central Park

Celebrate the rich cultural legacy of Yiddish music in Central Park at 7pm on Wednesday, June 14, 2023,  when National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) and Capital One City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage will present New York Sings Yiddish! – in partnership with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene/Museum of Jewish Heritage –  A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and supported by the Workers Circle– will feature an illustrious lineup of Yiddish theater and concert superstars, including THE KLEZMATICS, Joanne Borts, Joshua (SoCalled) Dolgin, Cantor Magda Fishman, Sara Mina Gordon, Cantor Netanel Hershtik, Elmore James, Daniel Kahn, Lea Kalisch, Frank London, Daniella Rabbani, Eleanor Reissa, Avi Fox-Rosen, and Lorin Sklamberg.

Led by Musical Director Zalmen Mlotek and featuring Musical Arrangements by Mlotek and Frank London, the celebratory event is produced by Moishe Rosenfeld, Golden Land Concerts & Connections.

Throughout the night, Yiddish lyrics will be projected on a giant screen, and available on attendees’ phones via QR codes, as singers lead the audience in an unprecedented community chorus, joyously celebrating a precious cultural legacy.

“On this special evening, New York will celebrate its Yiddish heritage and soul with some of our most brilliant musical stars – and under the stars. We invite all New Yorkers to come together in Central Park for a wonderful concert filled with Klezmer artistry and Yiddish theater gems for a memorable night,” said Zalmen Mlotek.

The event will feature an unprecedented 4,000-voice sing-along, celebrating the launch of Yiddish Songs.org, home of The Yosl and Chana Mlotek Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle. This collection is comprised of songs compiled in five anthologies by beloved Yiddish culture anthologists and community leaders Yosl Mlotek and Chana Mlotek and contains songs that highlight important themes, cultural activities, daily life, celebrated musicians, undiscovered musicians, and much more. 

“Hearing Yiddish songs brings our past to life and serves to inspire our lives today. Through our Yiddish songs, we hear the voices from our heritage speak of family relationships, love, resistance and revolution, and even war,  and the voices of parents and grandparents singing lullabies,” said Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle. “Yiddish songs are part of family celebrations, struggle, and success, and as the late Theodore Bikel once said, ‘the Yiddish song emerges, not as a flower which wilts in the winds of autumn, but as a perennial, which blooms no matter where, no matter when’.”

Seating and standing is first-come, first-served until capacity is reached. For information about the event, visit nytf.org/summerstage. Doors open at 6pm; Enter E 72nd Street and 5th Avenue, NYC.