Chicago YIVO
Summer Festival of yiddish culture 2025
All events are in person across Chicago area libraries
From Bills of Lading to Duolingo: The Story of Yiddish
with Jeffry Mallow
Sunday, June 12th at 6:30pm
at the Northtown Public Library 6800 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60645
Professor Jeffry Mallow will present a program on the history of the Yiddish language and culture.
The KlezMeydlekh
with Shirlee Todd, Gail Mangurten, and Irina Kaufman
Thursday, June 19th at 7:00pm
at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091
The KlezMeydlech is a trio of women who vocally and instrumentally perform both traditional klezmer and Yiddish songs as well as Jewish music with a modern flare, incorporating creative arrangements with international and American influences.
Yiddish Silent Movie: "East and West"
Sunday, June 22nd at 3:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar Lane Northbrook, IL 60062
Featuring Molly Picon's hijinks and veteran filmmaker Goldin's affectionate portrayal of worldly Jews encountering traditional shtetl life.
An Afternoon of Yiddish Nostalgia
with Bibi Marcell and Gail Mangurten
Sunday, July 29th at 3:00pm
at the Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053
Bibi Marcell and Gail Mangurten will play Yiddish soul music that will warm your hearts and make you want to clap and sing along!
TRADITION! Stewart Figa Sings Yiddish
with Stewart Figa
Sunday, July 13th at 3:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar Lane Northbrook, IL 60062
Stewart Figa, Yiddish vocalist, actor, and cantor sings his favorite songs from Yiddish theater, the Yiddish folk repertoire, and reminisces about his experience of working in the Yiddish Theatre and his love of his mother tongue.
Jewish Jokes and Yiddish Implications (i.e. curses)
with Rabbi Barry Schechter
Sunday, July 20 at 3:00pm
at the Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL 60077
Jewish people have great experience in laughing and joking to get through difficult times. We are living in difficult times. Rabbi Schechter will help us!
Trio Controverso
with Kurt Bjorling, Annette Bjorling, and Joseph Spilberg
Sunday July 27th at 3:00pm
at the Northtown Public 6800 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60645
The program includes liturgical music, virtuosic mazltovs and celebratory dances, as well as instrumental versions of traditional folk songs.
Maxwell Street Klezmer Quintet
Tuesday, August 5th at 7:00pm
at the Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar Ln, Northbrook, IL 60062
Audiences of all backgrounds and ages will enjoy the variety, virtuosity, and humor of a Maxwell Street Klezmer Quintet performance.
Wise Women, Rabbis, Demons and Misers: Tales from Jewish Tradition
with Susan Stone
Tuesday, August 12th at 7:00pm
at the Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL 60077
Join award winning professional storyteller, Susan Stone, as she tells stories from many sources; Jewish folktales, Midrash, Chasidic tales, as well as her life.
Chicago Klezmer Ensemble Concert
with Kurt Bjorling et. al.
Sunday, August 24th at 3:00pm
at the Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053
The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble presents an elegant and knowledgeable approach to klezmer music that retains the earthy, human, and expressive qualities that give traditional klezmer music a direct contact with the listener.