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Eastern European Jewish immigration to America
Eastern European Jews began to immigrate to the United States in large numbers after 1880. Pushed out of Europe by overpopulation, oppressive legislation and poverty, they were pulled toward America by the prospect of financial and social advancement. Between 1880 and 1924, over 2 million Jews from Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Romania came to America. Once again, the character of American Jewry was transformed, as the Eastern Europeans became the majority. -
The Yiddish Theater Movement
Organized professional theater for European Jews was a new development in Europe in the late 1800s when Jewish immigration to the United States was at its peak. Performers came to America from the Yiddish theater movement, which was started by Abraham Goldfaden in 1870s Romania. The result was that European Yiddish-language theatre strongly influenced the development of Yiddish theater in the United States, along with influences from American performing arts, especially vaudeville. -
The National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene 1915- Present
The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is the longest continuously producing Yiddish theatre company in the world. The company presents plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops and community-building activities in English and Yiddish. NYTF's mission is to celebrate the Yiddish experience through the performing arts. The Yiddish theatre represents a rare connection to a culture, a language, and a way of life nearly destroyed following the second World War. -
Jewish Broadway Musicals
There have been many musicals over the years that have illuminated the Jewish experience Some include: Milk and Honey (1961), Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Cabaret (1966), Amerike- The Golden Land (1982), Rags (1986), Falsettos (1992), Parade (1998), Ragtime (1998), The Immigrant (2004), Soul Doctor (2013), War Paint (2017). This website includes descriptions of the above musicals, and more! https://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/a-look-back-at-musicals-that-illuminate-the-jewish-experience/ -
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical based on tales by Sholem Aleichem about Tevye, the dairyman. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. A film version of Fiddler became the highest-grossing film of 1971. Recently, Fiddler has been performed in Yiddish and remains very popular. -
Safam- American Jewish Rock
Safam is an American Jewish rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1974. Safam's music covers many American musical styles while maintaining a decidedly Jewish flavor. They use various settings -Rock & Roll, Pop, Folk, Latin, Chassidic or Cantorial - to create their music. Dodi Li
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ak91tkl0I Nachamu Ami
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqk8ioMdY8k Yah Ribon Alam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD4nT7qAxhY -
US Klezmer Revival
Following a small revival in the 1920s and one in the 1970s, Klezmer became very popular in the 1980s. In the United States, the genre evolved considerably as Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who arrived between 1880 and 1924, came into contact with American jazz. Klezmer is identifiable by its characteristic expressive melodies, reminiscent of the human voice, complete with laughing and weeping. The Klezmatics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4tosTP1pvo -
Flory Jagoda- Ladino Music
Flory Jagoda is a Bosnian-Jewish–born American guitarist, composer and singer-songwriter. She is known for her composition and interpretation of Sephardic songs, Ladino songs and Bosnian folk ballads. Ladino is a mixture of Spanish and Hebrew, and for hundreds of years, it was the language spoken by Jews throughout the Mediterranean. It has become a popular music genre in the US. Ocho Kandelikas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fHPK6CEN1k -
The Klezmorim
The Klezmorim 91975), founded in Berkeley, California, was the world's first klezmer revival band, credited with leading the global renaissance of klezmer in the 1970s and '80s. Over time, The Klezmorim's humor and spontaneous banter evolved into a show. Throughout the 1980s, the band pursued media exposure through public radio and appearances on television. Egyptian Fantasy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2fMQMdNuLE The Underskore Orchestra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsHUMZEL6X8 -
Shlock Rock: American-Israeli Jewish Rock Band
Shlock Rock is an American-Israeli Jewish rock band founded in 1986, and led by Lenny Solomon. It parodies popular secular songs, substituting new, religious-themed lyrics for the music. The purpose of the band is to spread Jewish pride, identity and awareness throughout the Jewish community. They are the only Jewish Music band to play a concert in all 50 States. Abarbanel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGn3VsNrUPQ My Menorah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGn3VsNrUPQ -
Matisyahu- Jewish Reggae and Altenative Rock
Matisyahu is an American Jewish reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician. He fuses the African-influenced styles of reggae, rap, beatboxing, and hip-hop with jazz's scat singing and Judaism's hazzan style of songful prayer. One Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs Jerusalem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYr4Fz14C6w Miracle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dom_X7YXf8s -
Jewish Acapella Groups
Jewish acapella groups have spread their music far across the US. No longer limited to college campuses, many groups go on tour and produce music videos widely available online. Some well known groups include: Six13, Pizmon, The Maccabeats, Tizmoret, and Y-Studs. Six13- A Hamilton Chanukah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWcd-K8_X34 The Maccabeats- Candlelight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJCSR4MuhU Pizmon- Eshet Chayil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hlRRXf8RsQ
