March, 2026

Sholem Aleichem, Friend,

We hope you had a Happy Purim, celebrated earlier this week.

Announcement: The Yiddish Culture Fund is currently accepting the next round of grant proposals. See below for details and some exciting programs coming up in March.

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Grants Available

KlezCalifornia is accepting proposals for a sixth round of grants from The Yiddish Culture Fund to help develop the next generation of Yiddish culture leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area! The application deadline is Sunday, April 12 for requests between $300 and $3,000; see detailed application procedures. Read about previous grants awarded. We encourage contributions of all amounts to sustain The Yiddish Culture Fund.

More Info »

Joy of Jewish Music and Dance with Veretski Pass and Bruce Bierman

Fiscally-sponsored by KlezCalifornia

Sunday, March 15, 2 - 5 pm, Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Avenue, Berkeley

The March session of this series features Veretski Pass, a trio of Jewish music veterans who have been at the forefront of the klezmer revival for over 25 years. Great for musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts to meet, learn, play, shmooze, or simply to take in the beauty of these rich traditions. Bring your instruments and dancing shoes. Music will be taught by Veretski Pass; dance will be led by Bruce Bierman.

More Info »

Flisik Yidish Salon

Presented by KlezCalifornia

Sunday, March 15, 2 - 3 pm PT, online

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

Di teme far marts vet zayn: In velkher shtot voynt ir? Vosere gelegnhaytn hot ir zikh tsu bateylikn in der yidisher kultur dort? Mit velkhe banitst ir zikh?

More info »

The Politics of Yiddish’s Origins, with Kalman Weiser

Co-presented by KlezCalifornia

Presented by the Jewish Community Library
Sunday, March 15, 6 - 7 pm PT, online

Since at least the 19th century, linguists and historians have debated where Yiddish comes from and what that tells us about the origins and migrations of Ashkenazic Jews. Their answers often reveal as much about their politics as about Yiddish. This talk will explore the history of the Yiddish language and how theories about its development have been used to often contradictory ends.

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Jewish Heritage Words: Connecting to Our Ancestors and Communities, with Dr. Sarah Benor

Co-presented by KlezCalifornia

Presented by the Jewish Community Library
Tuesday, March 17, 6 - 7:30 pm, 1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco

Most Jews today do not speak the native languages of their great-grandparents, but they maintain some “heritage words”—words from ancestral Jewish languages that have been passed down the generations. In this in-person talk, Dr. Sarah Benor will explain the historical circumstances that led to this situation and will describe the phenomenon, based on interviews from the Heritage Words Podcast.

More Info »

View more events and classes on our website:

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

• Yiddish Culture Lecturers in the San Francisco Bay Area »

Honor Wall

Marlene Levenson

In memory of my parents and sister.