Yiddish performance, whether in theatrical, spoken or music form, is alive and well in Melbourne. Our panel of practitioners and researchers discuss what such performances tell us about ourselves, our past and our identity.
Nicola Mensa Hearn (moderator), Galit Klas, Rebecca Margolis, Simon Starr
Nicola Menser Hearn is a documentary filmmaker, musician and writer based in Naarm. She is a graduate research student at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC), Monash University, undertaking a creative research project exploring Queer Yiddishkeit in Australia. Nicola was an artist in residence with the Yiddishkayt (CA, USA) Helix Fellowship in 2016-17 and…
Professor Rebecca (Rivke) Margolis is the Director and Pratt Foundation Chair of Jewish Civilisation at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) at Monash University. She is a scholar of migration and cultural history with a focus on the transmission and revitalisation of Yiddish. Her current research focuses on new Yiddish cinema.
Galit Klas is the co-artistic director of the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. She is an award-winning writer, director and performer and arts visionary who pushes the boundaries of bilingual theatre and music. Her most recent works are Yentl, the Yiddish techno group – Durkh A Modne Gloz and the family comedy, The Cantor.
In 2016, Simon Starr returned from six and a half years of living in Israel where he had researched Yemenite, Moroccan and Balkan music. Whilst there he released his 3rd solo album 27/04, and produced Tal Badani’s Jewellery of Love and Death for record label Warners (Europe). Starr co-created and performed in the Israeli musical…