Outline:
A Unique Celebration of Yiddish Culture in Richmond
It’s not every day that you come across a man in a Stetson hat singing Yiddish folksongs in the former capital of the Confederacy. Yet, during the opening weekend of Richmond Yiddish Week, this unusual sight was just one of many surprises for attendees. The grassroots festival, which kicked off on Saturday, brought together a diverse crowd for a celebration of Yiddish culture.
The festival’s opening concert featured two local klezmer bands, The Vulgar Bulgars and My Son The Doctor, performing at the Gold Lion Community Café in Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood. The venue quickly filled up, with attendees packed tightly into the space. “This is clearly the place to be in Manchester tonight,” remarked one guest as they squeezed into a seat.
Festival co-founder Sam Shokin addressed the audience before the first set, expressing her delight at the turnout. “We weren’t sure how many like-minded people we were going to find for a Yiddish culture festival,” she said, “but judging by the crowd it seems like there are a lot of you.” Her words were met with enthusiastic applause.
A Vibrant Atmosphere
Thirty minutes into the first set, the café was so crowded that service staff struggled to deliver food and drinks. At least one woman gave up waiting in line until the break between sets. The Vulgar Bulgars opened with several tightly harmonized and adventurous arrangements of klezmer instrumentals. Local singer Nina Lankin joined for a power ballad-esque and refreshingly non-maudlin rendition of the Yiddish theater classic Papirosn (Cigarettes). She and the band also performed a heartfelt version of the messianic Yiddish song Shnirele Perele (Ribbons and Pearls).
Between sets, as attendees reordered food and drinks, this reporter had a chance to speak with a few guests. Rachel Enders, a local preschool teacher who identified as Catholic, shared her surprise at the size and vibrancy of the Jewish community in the area. “I’ve been here for three years or so,” she said, “but I had no idea there was this big, vibrant Jewish community here.”
Festival co-founder Danny Kraft noted that the local community has some “conservative and insular” tendencies. However, the organizers of Richmond Yiddish Week chose more public venues for their programming, rather than explicitly Jewish spaces. The local Jewish Federation supported the event by funding security.
A Dance and a Bagel
Maribel Moheno, a language instructor at a local university who recently discovered her Jewish ancestry, was the first to start dancing. Others soon joined her during the second set, led by My Son The Doctor. While the set was less polished, it was far more danceable. After completing a circle dance called a freylekhs with Moheno and a dozen others, this reporter refueled with a bagel made by local bakery Cupertino’s NY Bagels. It wasn’t bad. Also on offer was an unexpected soft drink called Palestine Cola.
As it turns out, the Gold Lion cafe has, like many such establishments, hosted pro-Palestine events. After some community members expressed concern about the festival being held there, the organizers clarified that the event had no stance on the Israel-Palestine issue. “People on both the left and the right who don’t know much about Yiddish think it’s synonymous with queer, anti-Zionist culture,” Kraft said. “That’s very reductive. Some people in the mainstream community saw this Yiddish event as a dog-whistle or code-word for anti-Zionism. Once we clarified this with the local Federation, that cleared the air a bit.”
“This is a week of celebrating Yiddishkeit,” said Shokin. “We’re focusing on arts and culture — politics, not so much.”
Despite a small budget and all-volunteer staff, Kraft and Shokin seem to have succeeded in creating a welcoming space for Yiddish culture.
A Family-Friendly Event
On Sunday afternoon, the Richmond Public Library’s main branch hosted a Yiddish story time event, led by Kraft, who is also a poet and Yiddish translator. More than a dozen young families attended. The program began with a brief Yiddish lesson, followed by a reading of the unique Yiddish-Spanish-English picture book Beautiful Yetta: the Yiddish Chicken. Kraft used the book’s dialogue to teach more Yiddish phrases.
One highlight of the afternoon was an interactive game called “Guess the Animal,” where the audience learned the Yiddish terms for familiar animals, including the non-kosher khazer (pig), which got plenty of laughs.
A lot of Yiddish programming today tends to be adult-focused, often geared toward retirees. So a Yiddish festival for children and young parents seems like an expression of hope for Yiddish continuity — a leap of faith, even.
A Successful Start
Despite the tempest in a teacup over the location, the opening concert had more than 100 people in attendance. Young families with toddlers and tweens mingled with elegantly dressed retirees, long-haired baby boomers, and 20- and 30-something hipsters. The evening closed out with two lively songs that the audience joined in for: Ale Brider (We’re All Brothers), a popular anthem about Jewish unity, and the Yiddish birthday song Tsu Dayn Geburtstog in honor of an audience member’s birthday.
The festival continued with a variety of events, showcasing the richness and diversity of Yiddish culture. From music to storytelling, the week offered something for everyone, proving that Yiddish heritage can thrive in unexpected places.