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Slingshot 09/10
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Yiddishkayt is
"breaking new ground"
 -- Slingshot 09/10
For the second year, Yiddishkayt is listed as one of the 50 most innovative Jewish nonprofits in North America. |
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 3/25 - KLEZMER ACROSS BORDERS
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Yiddishkayt is thrilled to join the Skirball Cultural Center in presenting Klezmer Across Borders this Thursday night.
The late-twentieth-century klezmer revival in the United States is well known to many. Few are aware that the renaissance has had major proponents elsewhere in North and South America. On February 4th, the wide-ranging musicality of Toronto's Beyond the Pale left the audience clamoring for an encore. Next up is a chance to see the Los Angeles premiere of Klezmer en Buenos Aires on March 25th.
"Surrender yourself to their ecstatic joy...Moguilevsky and Lerner are your hosts, satisfaction guaranteed." --Contumancia Magazine
World-class Argentinean duo César Lerner and Marcelo Moguilevsky, also known as Klezmer en Buenos Aires, bring the merriment and pathos of Eastern Europe's spirited music to the Skirball. Their exciting and innovative take on klezmer blends traditional melodies with Argentinean folk, jazz, tango, and contemporary sounds. Be mesmerized by the orchestral effect of their stunning virtuosity on flutes, bagpipe, duduk (Armenian reed instrument), clarinets, soprano saxophone, harmonica, accordion, piano, and percussion.
For directions, parking, and to plan your visit, click here for the Skirball Cultural Center website. (Note: to purchase tickets at the membership rate, you must use the specified promo code below)
Klezmer en Buenos Aires: Lerner Moguilevsky Dúo
Thursday, March 25, at 8:00 p.m.
$30 General;
$25 Skirball and Yiddishkayt* Members;
$20 Full-Time Students
Advance tickets are available on site at the Skirball, online at www.skirball.org, or by phone at (877) SCC-4TIX or (877) 722-4849.
*Yiddishkayt Members, to redeem your discount, indicate promo code 99635 at time of purchase. Limit two discounted tickets per concert. Discount may not be applied retroactively to previously purchased tickets.
 --> listen to Klezmer en Buenos Aires
--> visit their website
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KEHILE (COMMUNITY) CALENDAR
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Shabbat Farbrengen: The Sweet World of Yiddish Culture
On April 9th, celebrate an evening of the classics of Yiddish folk music, poetry and stories with Cantor Herschel Fox and Rabbi Ed Feinstein. The night will focus on the unique creativity and character of Yitzhak Leib Peretz. Peretz expressed the longings and hopes of the Jewish heart in many of the finest Yiddish stories ever penned. Even if you don't know a word of Yiddish, this evening will touch the heart.
When: Friday, April 9, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Cost: Free! Where: Valley Beth Shalom 15739 Encino Boulevard
Encino, CA 91436
Click to download the event flyer (1.4 MB)
or call 818.788.6000 for more information
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REMEMBERING LIBBY SKLAMBERG
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Libby was a force. I first met her when we presented the Klezmatics at UCLA in 1997. She had bought an enormous quantity of tickets that she was reselling to support her son's band (Lorin Sklamberg, the lead singer for the Klezmatics). She was their number-one fan.
I quickly learned that Libby was all pervasive. If there was a Yiddish concert or event happening anywhere in town, I knew she would be there, and usually would have brought along a large contingent of her friends to boot. She soon became an integral part of Yiddishkayt serving on the organizing committees for our biennial festivals and as a regular member of our program committee as well.
When we first floated the idea of creating some type of food event (which eventually morphed into our Kugl Kukh-Off), we were looking for celebrity judges who would give our idea some credibility. Libby suggested her neighbor and friend, Jonathan Gold. "THE Jonathan Gold" we all inquired incredulously that evening? "Of course!" Libby had befriended the future Pulitzer Prize winning food critic and his family and taken them under her wing.
That was Libby. She had an unparalleled social network - she virtually invented the concept of social media long before Facebook, Twitter or the likes were even a glint in the eye of their future founders. She was our one-woman social-media, PR and marketing force, all rolled into one.
Libby was kind and tireless. We are forever in her debt and we are motivated to do more just by the memory of how much one woman could accomplish with a computer and a telephone.
Libby... oleya ha'sholem...
-- Aaron Paley, Founder/Chair of Yiddishkayt
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Lokshn Kugl - Friend or Foe? By Leigh Haikin |
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[Editor's Note: This article was originally penned in 2004 by Libby's daughter, Leigh. It is reprinted here as a reminder of Libby's humor, her love for Yiddish culture and her elusive, award-winning recipe.]
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If that's the case, the way to a Jewish man's heart is through arteries hardened with schmaltz and valves blocked by deposits of hoop cheese.
Years ago, newly married and planning one of my first big holiday meals, I asked my mother for her kugl recipe. A bite of my mother's lokshn kugl is like sinking your teeth into pure joy. The crunchy, nutty texture of the toasty crust, the ribbon of creamy, silky cheese, the spicy hint of cinnamon, and just
the right balance of plump raisins.
"A pint of sour cream, a cube of butter, four eggs, a pint of cottage cheese..."
"Ma," I say, "is there any way to make this so it won't put my husband into the ICU?" Silence. Stupid question I know, but given that my father-in-law died at 64 of coronary disease and my husband's cholesterol levels were somewhere north of disastrous, it didn't seem that unreasonable a request.
"Well, Ruthy makes a no-fat version with egg whites. Feh!
It's tasteless. But you go ahead, honey...try Ruthy's recipe."
"But Ma. Isn't there some way to make your kugl a little more healthy?"
"What do you want - its kugl. How often do you eat kugl?"
So here was my choice: to turn my back on a heritage of delicious yet deadly cuisine and cook up a casserole full of benign tastelessness, or live with the guilt of assaulting not only my husband's cardio vascular system, but my mother's culinary authority as well.
I decided to consult the experts. I hit every bookstore in town and searched through titles like "Healthy Jewish Cooking," "Kalifornia Kosher" (I guess K's are a sign of a healthier lifestyle) and "The Guiltfree Yiddish Gourmet." Ma was right. Feh! All the recipes sounded like pale imitations of the
glorious flavors that emanated from my mother's kitchen.
In the end I did what any good daughter does - I listened to my mother's advice - kind of sort of. Instead of 4 eggs, I used 3 eggs and a little egg substitute. I used three-quarters of a pint of regular sour cream and the rest the reduced fat kind. And so on. I just didn't tell anyone. And even if the portions of kugl I served that night were a bit skimpier than Mom's, at least I
had a clear conscience of not only doing no harm but doing no feh either. |
FROM LIBBY'S FAMILY
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In
lieu of flowers, you may honor Libby's memory by making a donation to
one of her favorite charities below, or by simply making soup or kugl
for someone who needs a bisele libe (little love):
Yiddishkayt Ensuring the survival of the endangered thousand-year legacy of Yiddish language, culture and history.
3780 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213.389.8880
Union Station Providing nurturing support for the homeless community of the San Gabriel Valley
825 E. Orange Grove Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91104
626.240.4550
Pacific Southwest Region Women's League for Conservative Judaism Torah Fund Supporting rabbinical studies and love of Torah
15600 Mulholland Drive
Bel Air, CA 90077
310.476.9777 |
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3780 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000 | Los Angeles, CA | 90010
Telephone: 213.389.8880 | Fax: 213.365.0702 | info@yiddishkayt.org
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