Starting on Monday, January 27th and going until Saturday, February 8th, the Rady Jewish Community Centre is putting an incredibly fun festival that puts a highlight on Yiddish Language and Culture. Called Put a Yid On It, this festival celebrates the humor, warmth, and character of a culture that has been slowly lost over time.
For those who are unfamiliar with what Yiddish is, you may be using Yiddish words without realizing it. Many of these words making their way into the lexicon of the English language.
Putz, Bagel, Bupkis, Chutzpah, tuchus, and schmooze are all words that originally come from Yiddish, amongst many others.
Now in its sophomore year, the Put a Yid On It festival is sure to be a fun way of taking in some engaging, hilarious, and unique art. And you do not need to speak Yiddish to enjoy it! English is a perfectly kosher language to take in this incredible festival.
Last year’s (2024) Put A Yid On It Festival was the inaugural year. Shira Newman is the Producer of the festival, and for her and the folks at the Rady JCC it was an attempt at dipping the toe in the water to see if there was a desire for a festival of Yiddish culture. When asked about the desire for a festival like this Newman, says “I think we were not 100 percent sure if that was true. And that was something the first festival was a test of. It proved to be an interest that was indeed out there. To see that it is something many younger people are engaged in, curious about, and interested in was fascinating. There is this movement that is happening called the Yiddish Rennaissance, and you can see that movement happened all over the world.”
The 2025 line-up of artists, film and discussions is outstanding.
Live Musical Performances
The festival will be welcoming to Winnipeg three musical acts that highlight the diversity and inclusiveness of Yiddish Culture.
From Toronto the Klezmer band Schmaltz and Pepper will be performing on January 27th. Made up of some of Canada’s top tier musicians, including the principal clarinetist from then Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Schmaltz and Pepper will perform an incredibly fun concert. As Newman States, “They have all loved Klezmer for a very long time and decided to bring that all together into this really fun, joyful, celebration of all of their Jewish identities.”
Ending the festival, the Latvian band Forshpil will be bringing their own more contemporary take on Yiddish Music to Winnipeg. Described as a Yiddish psychedelic rock band, Forshpil performs in Yiddish, but sounds like Jefferson Airplane, and have a singer reminiscent of Janis Joplin. The band is made up of some incredibly talented musicians who perform as if Yiddish was still being extensively used today. “They really wanted to visualize what a musical world would look like if Yiddish had never been interrupted...if there could be kids in garage bands singing Yiddish ballades but with electric guitars along with their violins, with their long crazy hair and everything that goes along with that,” says Newman.
The third musical act will be performing music alongside a silent film. World-renowned Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals (The Klezmatics) and celebrated silent film pianist Donald Sosin, will be performing a live soundtrack to the film A Man Without a World on February 6h. Made in 1991, this film duplicates the feel, ambience and technology of the golden age of Yiddish cinema from the 1920s and 30s. It recreates the imagery of a small village or Shtetel from the 1880s and incorporates a live performance of a musical score. This performance will be very special.
Lectures and Discussions
This year’s Put a Yid On It Festival puts an emphasis on Yiddish culture here in Winnipeg, and sheds some light on the 1919 General Strike, as viewed through the eyes of the working-class Jews in Winnipeg’s North End.
On February 2nd, there will be a round table discussion called Strike-Yiddishkeit and the Winnipeg General Strike. This panel discussion will discuss Yiddish newspapers that were published here in Winnipeg, and the effect they had on the Jewish community leading up to the 1919 Strike.
There will also be a lecture called Yiddish and Its Demons: How to Write in a Dying Language. This lecture will be led by Professor Itay Zutra who is a professor of Yiddish language and culture at the University of Manitoba. One of the topics that will be discussed is the use of Yiddish by contemporary artists as a way of overcoming trauma and finding a path to a Jewish cultural revival.
Yiddish Film
Yiddish film will be highlighted by way of four films.
The films Jester and Mamele which come from the golden age of Yiddish Theater and the 1991 Film Man Without a World.
One of the throughlines of this year’s Put a Yid On It Festival is the fact that Yiddish is enjoying a resurgence, and younger artists are using it as a medium to create art. The documentary Yiddishland demonstrates this will full effect. It will be shown on February 1st. Made in 2024, this film shows how artists around the world are using Yiddish to sing, write, while creating an inclusive world where everyone is welcome, no matter what faith.
The Rady Jewish Community Centre’s 2025 edition of Put a Yid on It has something for everyone, Jew, and non-Jew. The festival is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in singular culture while being highly entertained and educated.
Put a Yid On It runs from Monday, January 27th and goes until Saturday, February 8th.
For more details on the festival including venues and showtimes click here
