Book Club
Reading the Foundational Texts of the Klezmer Revival(You only need to register once to join our informal book club mailing list and just send Clara a message if you’d like to be removed.)
The Klezmer Institute Book Club is a very casual get-together for any one interested in reading academic materials related to Ashkenazic expressive culture. No scholarly or academic experience required, but you are expected to have read at least one of the assigned chapters per meeting. Bring your interests, knowledge, and desire to learn through discussion!
Our inaugural text in spring of 2026 was American Klezmer: Its Roots and Offshoots, a landmark collection edited by Mark Slobin. Generally in the summers we will read articles and fall readings happen after the High Holy Days. Please see the upcoming information below!
Summer Articles
July 14th, 2pm Eastern – “Theorizing Heritage” by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett & “Klezmer Routes: Three Jewish Musicians From Poland” by Hankus Netsky
August 18th, 2pm Eastern – “Migration and Remembrance: Sounds and Spaces of Klezmer ‘Revivals'” by Larry Ray
If you would like to attend one or more sessions, please register at the link above. The book club is free and informal, but register so that you will get the zoom link and any follow-up notes.
Adventures in Yiddishland: Postvernacular Language & Culture
By Jeffrey Shandler
Adventures in Yiddishland examines the transformation of Yiddish in the six decades since the Holocaust, tracing its shift from the language of daily life for millions of Jews to what the author terms a postvernacular language of diverse and expanding symbolic value. With a thorough command of modern Yiddish culture as well as its centuries-old history, Jeffrey Shandler investigates the remarkable diversity of contemporary encounters with the language. His study traverses the broad spectrum of people who engage with Yiddish—from Hasidim to avant-garde performers, Jews as well as non-Jews, fluent speakers as well as those who know little or no Yiddish—in communities across the Americas, in Europe, Israel, and other outposts of “Yiddishland.”
October 13th, 2pm Eastern – IntroOctober 27th, 2pm Eastern – Chapters 1 & 2November 10th, 2pm Eastern – Chapters 3 & 4November 24th, 2pm Eastern – Chapters 5 & 6
You can order Adventures in Yiddishland here or here.We will email the Zoom link out the day before our gatherings!
This is a free program of the Klezmer Institute, but donations are always welcome in support of the Institute’s work. https://klezmerinstitute.org/support/
If you would like to attend one or more sessions, please register at the link above. The book club is free and informal, but register so that you will get the zoom link and any follow-up notes.
Klezmer Music: Its Roots & Offshoots
One of our 2026 initiatives is a book club where we can discuss important Ashkenazic expressive culture scholarship together! These will be very casual get-togethers. No scholarly or academic experience required, but you are expected to have read at least one of the assigned chapters per meeting. Bring your interests, knowledge, and desire to learn through discussion!
We are beginning with American Klezmer: It’s Roots and Offshoots edited by Mark Slobin. It can be ordered here.
When: Tuesdays, 2pm Eastern Time
February 10th – Roots, Introduction through Chapter 3
March 3rd – Roots, Chapters 4-6
March 31st – Offshoots, Chapters 7-8
April 28th – Offshoots / Summary / Presents & Futures, Chapters 9-11
To participate, please register at the “Register to attend” button. We will email the Zoom link out the day before our gatherings!
This is a free program of the Klezmer Institute, but donations are always welcome in support of the Institute’s work. https://klezmerinstitute.org/support/
