| | Dear Friend,
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, however at the Workers Circle, we celebrate and are inspired by our traditions and Jewish American heritage all year long. The Workers Circle was founded by Eastern European Jewish immigrants who first began to form an activist community in 1892. At the start of the twentieth century, tens of thousands of Jewish Immigrants made the decision to leave their homelands fleeing antisemitic violence and oppression, and in 1900 they formed Der Arbeter Ring, Yiddish for “The Workers Circle.” Today, more than 100 years later — we are proud to continue our role in preserving and advancing Jewish heritage in the United States through Yiddish classes, cultural events, and an active social justice agenda. In 2023, our student activism has taken an active role in carrying the torch for the trailblazers that came before us. The Workers Circle Teen Activist Academy is a training program that empowers young people by teaching them organizing and activist skills to become lifelong leaders of social change, and the Workers Circle College Network is organizing students nationally to collectively engage around social justice issues and is inspired by Yiddish traditions and culture. Both of these youth-focused programs help ensure that the Workers Circle’s mission will thrive for generations to come. The Yosl and Chana Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle has become a popular Yiddish music resource for thousands. I encourage people of all ages and all levels of familiarity with Yiddish to listen to, sing, and learn from its vast range of melodies and musicians. We will keep you updated on new performances and happenings in the world of Yiddish music, as well as offer a deep dive into the history of the song collection. I am thrilled to share that our Yiddish Song Collection will be showcased during a free concert at SummerStage in Central Park on June 14. The concert will continue the tradition begun with our historic Yiddishfest concerts complete with a massive Yiddish sing-along using selections and lyrics from yiddishsongs.org, performed by Yiddish musical giants, including the Klezmatics, Joanne Borts, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, Daniel Kahn, and more As always, we are proud to be the world’s leading provider of Yiddish education. And in a few days, we will be opening registration for our summer Yiddish classes — all being held online. Stay tuned for more information. In this edition of The Call, you will learn more about our online events, our summer semester of Yiddish classes, our local school communities, and more. Thank you for being a part of our community as we continue to forward the activism and cultural celebration of our founders: fighting for a better and more beautiful world for all, empowering new generations to be powerful activists, and being inspired by our Yiddishkayt heritage and traditions. In friendship,
| | | | | | | | Climate Action Demanding an End to Drilling on Public Land Young Jews for a Green New Deal, a project of the Workers Circle College Network, joined the Climate Defiance protest outside the entrance to the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, DC, on April 29. Together with hundreds of activists from around the country, we demanded President Biden honor the promise he made during his 2020 presidential campaign to use his executive power to end oil and gas drilling on public land. The College Network is proud to be part of the ongoing fight for climate justice. | | | | Jewish-rooted Activism | This spring, a group of our NYC College Network members had dinner with Ryan Deitsch, a survivor of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Parkland, Florida and co-founder of the influential Gen Z gun violence prevention organization March for Our Lives. The event was lively and spirted, with serious discussions about how we can fix what’s broken in our country, and more lighthearted, laughter-filled conversations. Ryan’s family has long been connected with the Workers Circle and he grounds his activism in his Jewish culture and values. Do you know a student who is in college or soon to be in college? Invite them to learn more about our College Network! | | | | | | | | | Activist Spotlight In our bi-weekly Activist Update email which provides social justice news and take action opportunities, we highlight individuals whose work lifts up themes of social justice. We recently featured Shirley Adelman, a writer and poet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who frequently engages in activism with the Workers Circle. Learn more about Shirley, her family's history, and read some of her beautiful work. Sign up for the Activist Update here. | | | | | | Power in the Streets Our Teen Activist Academy is on fire! In May, teens experienced Power in the Streets led by Paul Nocera, a core organizer with the Queer Liberation March. Now in its fifth year, the march aims to return Pride to its roots in the liberation struggle of the Stonewall Rebellion. Teens will have the opportunity to volunteer with this year’s March on June 25! Reach out to Amanda at amiller@circle.org for more information. | | | | YIDDISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE | | | | | | Keeping Yiddish Alive at the Workers Circle! Summer Yiddish classes, including Yiddish song and klezmer workshops, will start in July through the beginning of August. Registration will open at the end of May. Our courses are designed for every age and skill level, from absolute beginner to total maven. Join us on Zoom for sessions focusing on conversation, literacy, nonfiction, literature, music, translation, poetry, theater, and more! Instructors from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Israel, Switzerland and the United States teach our classes and klezmer workshops. We hope to see you on Zoom this summer! Our Yiddish department is very proud of The Yosl and Chana Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle. We invite all Yiddish fans to contribute their thoughts on the site by visiting https://yiddishsongs.org/contact/. Exciting news: Our trip to Yiddishland 2023 is coming up and rooms are sold out. We still have limited availability in bunks for Pesakh Fiszman Scholarship recipients. If you're a young person between the ages of 18 and 30 who demonstrate the motivation to play a role in the future of the Yiddish language and culture, you can apply for a scholarship. Please email Sabina Brukner at sbrukner@circle.org with a short statement of your knowledge and experience in Yiddish language and klezmer music and your reasons for wanting to participate in Yiddishland on August 14–20, 2023 by Friday, July 15. | | | | | | | | Mazel tov to our Young Adults! | | | We are kvelling over of our Westchester Workers Circle School students who celebrated their B’nei Mitsve on May 13! Every year, each of our Workers Circle schools offers seventh graders the opportunity to synthesize their connection to Judaism through the co-creation of a secular non-traditional B’nei Mitsve journey. Students engage with their family heritages, devise a social justice project close to their hearts, and develop a research project exploring the connection between Jewish culture and a personal passion. Next year our Brooklyn school will be welcoming its first B’nei Mitsve cohort! Registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now up for all schools. Register before July 1 for Early Bird tuition. | | | | | | | | | | | | The Boston Workers Circle A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus 25th Anniversary Concert The Boston Workers Circle's A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus is celebrating their 25th anniversary! Join them and Daniel Kahn for Freedom is a Verb, a concert that is sure to inspire and sustain our work for collective freedom. Purchase tickets here. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
