July 2025

Sholem Aleichem, Friend,

Summer is here — and with it comes a variety of Yiddish-related activities. Check out the possibilities below.

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TASTES OF YIDDISH CULTURE SERIES

Flisik Yidish Salon

Presented by KlezCalifornia

Sunday, July 20, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Online

This free, monthly online conversation Salon is for fluent (flisik) Yiddish speakers.

אױף װאָסערע װיכטיקע אופֿנים האָט דער װעלט זיך געביטן אין די לעצטע צװאַנציק יאָר? רעכן אױס דרײַ אופֿנים

Di teme far yuli vet zayn: Af vosere vikhtike oyfanim hot der velt zikh gebitn in di letste tsvantsik yor? Rekhn oys dray oyfanim.

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San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

KlezCalifornia is a Community Partner

The 45th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Thursday, July 17 – Sunday, August 3, will bring more than 65 dynamic independent films to the Bay Area.

KlezCalifornia is a Community Partner for the nine-minute short, The Stage is Ours, Sunday, August 3, 12:30 pm, in Piedmont. In this short, nearly fifty Jewish actors, playwrights and directors gather at Broadway’s Lyceum Theater to reflect on the history and meaning of Jewish theater. This wonderful short will be shown at Landmark’s Piedmont Theater (Oakland) as part of A Dose of Reality: Documentary Shorts.

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Jewish Folk Chorus of San Francisco: Yiddish Songs of Solidarity and Justice

Saturday, July 5, 2 pm on KALW, 91.7 FM

The Jewish Folk Chorus of San Francisco’s Zingeray Ensemble will sing Yiddish songs of Solidarity and Justice.

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SF FREE FOLK FESTIVAL

Workshop on Yiddish Songs of Solidarity, with Ami Goodman

Saturday, July 12, 11 am - noon, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Workshop attendees will learn songs on themes of social justice, hope, resilience, and the struggle against tyranny and oppression. Participants will be invited to share their thoughts and reflections, and, of course, everyone will sing! Transliterated lyrics will be provided.

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Yiddish Culture Links

Obscure Yiddish Folk Songs, Both Humorous and Heartbreaking, with Mikhl Yashinsky

A green duck goes in search of noodles to chew on. A soldier leaving for the Russo-Japanese war bids a heartbreaking farewell to his mother, father, and sweetheart. A mysterious stranger enters the shtetl. These are just some of the unusual scenarios found in the antiquated but wonderfully alive Yiddish songs that Mikhl Yashinsky, Detroit-born Yiddish performer, has learned this past year as an apprentice to the veteran folk singer Ethel Raim. Video with English translations (58 minutes).



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View more events and classes on our website:

• KlezCalifornia Event Directory (with all the events we know of) »

• Yiddish Classes Online »

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