Honor Wall

In honor or memory of your loved one, or friends, or your Yiddish heritage.

Joel Schechter & Diana Scott

In honor of

Daniel Ellsberg’s

repeated whistleblowing and attempts to rescue humanity from its worst impulses.

From The Pentagon Papers publication half a century ago to recent protests against war and nuclear weapons, he has been a prophet in his own time. If only more people in high places would listen to him.

April 2023

Malka Whiteman

In memory of my father

Moshe Weitman, z"l

My father, Moshe Weitman, was a Torah scholar, lover of Yiddish, opera, and the violin. He was born in the shtetl Balygrodt, Poland in 1905 and lived a life of piety, poverty, fear, and virulent antisemitism. As a young man he prepared to emigrate to Palestine but, instead, in 1938, miraculously obtained a visa for the US. He worked as a laborer, at backbreaking jobs. And he was haunted by the shadow of survivor guilt.

I think about the life my father should have had versus the one he did have. May his soul know peace in the life beyond.

April 2023

Karen Davison

In memory of

Mary Kremsdorf & Sadye Brown

Yiddish makes me think of my grandmothers. I miss them.

April 2023

Pam Gilboa

In memory of my beloved husband

Joe

the love of my life.

April 2023

Aimee Waldman

In honor of

Ellie Shapiro

Thank you Ellie for a spectacular presentation!—and for helping me to understand a bit more about my tribe—as you so rightly stated, we know more about how they died than how they lived!!!!

March 2023

Deborah Pines

For my mother

Doris W. Cohen

who got a kick out of my being the first person in the family to speak Yiddish.

March 2023

Abby Marcus

Thank you

Scheindel & Joseph Markusfeld

You left your home in Lemberg to come to America, and that’s why I am alive today.

March 2023

Eleanor Shapiro

In Memory of my mother

Esther Shapiro

March 2023

Harriet Rafter

In Honor of

Ellie Shapiro & Judy Kunofsky

This is in gratitude to Ellie Shapiro, for her important and foot-tapping research, and to Judy Kunofsky, for putting everything together. Thank you both.

March 2023

Betty Albert-Schreck

To Honor My Friend

Gerry Tenney

We have been friends and music buddies since 1961!!, when I met you and was introduced to bluegrass and old timey music and began flat picking. By now we have a history of playing music together with Second Generation, CA Klezmer, our Kindershul/KinderShule years, and our recording of Lomir Zingn a Yiddish Lid. Whew! I love so many of the songs you’ve written, especially Kitchen Music, and of course, your children’s songs, especially Haunted House, which should place you in the Children’s Music Hall of Fame. And thank you, too, for all you’ve given to the world of Yidishkayt.

March 2023

Moreen Libet

In Honor of

the KlezCalifornia Board and all KlezCalifornia volunteers

I want to thank the Board and volunteers who work so hard and thoughtfully to bring all of these enlightening, inspiring, and entertaining workshops, jokes, resources, and information to us.

March 2023

Bashe Kuperstein

In Loving Memory of my parents

Joseph & Sara Kuperstein

They excelled at being the best parents I could have had. Very grateful. Thankful they spoke Yiddish exclusively in the home. It was my first language. I treasure all the memories.
They are in my heart.

March 2023

Yael Chaver

Honoring the memory of

Eli Katz, z"l

teacher, scholar, oysergeveyntlekh [extraordinary] mentsh

February 2023

Lita Krowech

In honor of

Judy Kunofsky

for her hard and creative work for KlezCalifornia

February 2023

Elaine Moise & Robert Grodsky

In memory of

Joseph & Lillian Grodsky

February 2023

Yermiyahu Ahron Taub

In honor of

Yankl Salant

editor, graphic designer, lexicographer, teacher, and translator extraordinaire, for his many contributions to contemporary Yiddish culture.

February 2023

Howard Freedman

In honor of

Veretski Pass

On the chai (18th) anniversary of their debut CD, I make a toast in celebration of Veretski Pass. They are a treasure.

February 2023

Dmitri Budker

In memory of

the innocent victims of the Russian attack on Vinnytsia (Ukraine)

February 2023

Rachel Melas

In memory of my grandparents

Bert & Alice

who raised me up and encouraged me to play music. Not everyone would buy their granddaughter an electric bass back in 1975.

February 2023

Robin Braverman

In memory of my grandparents

Pauline and Bundy (Andrew) Lang

January 2023

Marc Epstein

In memory of

Elaine Fingerett

who brought Klezmer joy to Northern California with her effervescent personality, accordion and kindness.

January 2023

Hershl Hartman

In honor of

Gail Rubman

January 2023

Raisa Premysler

In loving memory of

Frieda Falk

my dearest husband, Isaak, my beloved parents Anna and Mikhail Chernobelsky and grandparents, Khasya Grosman and Itzhak Gendler. From shtetl to big cities, klezmer was always a part of my family upbringing and I continue to enjoy it very much!

January 2023

Marcia Falk

In memory of

Frieda Falk

who spoke a beautiful Yiddish and instilled in me a love for mameloshn.

January 2023

Sandy Tate

In memory of

Sonia Tubridy

January 2023

Llyana Landes

In honor of

Evelyn Taylor

who is approaching the last days of her 97 years on earth. A warm, smart, loving strong and beautiful woman who gave so much to me over so many decades. You are always in my heart.

January 2023

Carol Dorf

In memory of

Rivka Greenberg

Rivka found art in the work of women, both in scholarship and in the fabric arts. She was an advocate for justice, and a warm community member.

January 2023

Barbara Borts

To the Flisik Salon leaders and participants!

This year, I want to remember my great uncle Ruby, a social and political activist, and a kind and generous man. He lived for some years in Petaluma before returning to Los Angeles, and there was part of a rich Yiddish culture which included singing in the Yiddish choir. I have some of his Yiddish books. I think he would have been delighted to learn about the flowering of Yiddish in hayntikn tog Kalifornie! And with this donation, I want to thank the leaders and participants of the Flisik Salon, who have invited me in so warmly.

January 2023

Mildred Chazin

In memory of

Julian David Chazin (Yossl Duvid Khazin)

The meaning of the last name is very obvious.

December 2022

Philip Prinz

In honor of my parents

Ruth & Erwin Prinz

December 2022

Barbara Weiss

Remembering my mother

Millie (Mindl)

who learned to speak and read Yiddish as a little girl in the Bronx and my grandmother

and my grandmother

Laura (Libka)

who spoke five languages and told stories of Kracow and skating on the Vistula River.

December 2022

Lois Pearlman

In memory of

Sonia Tubridy

Last December our music and Jewish communities lost a gold mine of excellence and dedication — Sonia Tubridy. She was a brilliant classical pianist and red-hot accordion player, but never sought the spotlight. Instead she spent her 76 years teaching piano and accordion, directing the River Choir, the Russian River Jewish Community and the Redwood Arts Council classical music series, playing with Amaryllis Trio and Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble, writing classical music reviews and accompanying countless singers. Sonia was also one of my dearest friends, neighbors and an accompanist who knew when I needed a melody note to keep me on pitch.

December 2022

Barbara Wezelman

In memory of

Rose & Ernie Wezelman

December 2022

Gail Rubman

In honor of

Renee Enteen

Who gives so generously of her time and energy to numerous refugee and other social causes, as well as to the Jewish Folk Chorus of San Francisco.

November 2022

Laura Sheppard

In honor of my mother

Hilda Sheppard

on her 98th birthday!

November 2022

Moreen Libet

In memory of

Elaine Fingerett

our band’s accordionista. In the process of sharing out her klezmer sheet music. It is now going out into the world, where she has gone.

November 2022

Mildred Chazin

In memory of

Julian David Chazin (Yossl Duvid Khazin)

the meaning of the last name is very obvious.

November 2022

Larishke un Aron (Laura and Andy)

In honor of our

California Friends

October 2022

E. Mones

In honor of my beloved bubbe

Ruth Mones

And in memory of my zeyde

Arthur Mones

With awe for our ancestors and the sweet, perennial spirit of Yidishkayt.

October 2022

Lea Delson

In memory of my beloved aunt

Ann Tukey Harrison

who left us too soon in October 2021. A brilliant scholar, she was exceptionally capable, loving and compassionate. She was a Professor of Romance Languages at Michigan State University and author of The Danse Macabre of Women: Ms. Fr. 995 of the Bibliothèque Nationale. She joined the Jewish people as an adult and became a leader in Reconstructionist Congregation Kehillat Israel in Lansing, Michigan, while also remaining close and loyal to her family of origin. She was an amazing wife, daughter, sister and aunt.

September 2022

Freda Kirkham

In memory of

Grace Paley

a brilliant writer and magnificent human being. Also a self-described “somewhat combative pacifist and cooperative anarchist.” She introduced me to written Yiddish, which, being a shiksa myself, was transformative! She also answered my fan letter and hugged me after a lecture. I’ll never forget it.

September 2022

Jerryl Lynn Rubin

In honor of

Ellie Shapiro

Congratulations on your 70th birthday Ellie and thank you for all you have done to bring Jewish music to a larger audience in all your various roles including teaching and production! May you have many more healthy and fulfilling years to follow your passions.

August 2022

Ann Bauman

In honor of

Bruce Bierman

August 2022

Anita Feinstein

In honor of

Bruce Bierman

Thank you Bruce for an interesting and passionate program.

August 2022

Philip Prinz

In memory of my parents

Ruth & Erwin Prinz

August 2022

Myra Kaplan

To the children who were killed in gun violence. May they rest in peace.

It is wonderful learning things Yiddish!
I want to honor my heritage and your programs help me do that.

July 2022

Elliot Simon

In memory of my father

Charlie Simon

my main musical mentor.

July 2022

Paul & Bev Alexander

In honor and memory of

Sonia Tubridy, Alby & Wallie Kass

July 2022

Anita Feinstein

In honor of

Judy Kunofsky

A sheynem dank. Thank you for bringing Yidishkayt to California.

July 2022

Susan Zarchy

In honor of my grandfather

Henry Lefkowitch (1891-1959)

A man of many talents — composer, arranger, publisher, editor, compiler, orchestral and choral conductor, teacher, lecturer, writer, singer, friend of music and befriender of musicians. He collected and arranged many folk songs that mirrored all phases of Jewish life, because “folk songs reflect and depict the life of a people.” My favorite fact about Papa: as a young man, he organized small orchestras and took them to Ellis Island, where they played for the waiting immigrants. For more information: Henry Lefkowitch.

July 2022

Lynne Kinsey

In honor of the

Barry Sisters Program

on June 12. My father played their albums often. When I was little I thought everyone did.

July 2022

Judy Berger

In Memory of my beloved mother

Yenta (Jeannette Weiser Berger)

(maiden name Kessler) who grew up in a household where some Yiddish was spoken. In June 2022, I attended KlezCalifornia’s workshop led by Sasha Lurje, who actually resembles my mother – almost wonder if we are related. The program unexpectedly engendered some fond memories.

July 2022

Mollee Sue Oxman Zoken

In Memory of my mother

Freida (Fritzie) Oxman

(maiden name Kessler) who grew up in a household where some Yiddish was spoken. In June 2022, I attended KlezCalifornia’s workshop led by Sasha Lurje, who actually resembles my mother – almost wonder if we are related. The program unexpectedly engendered some fond memories.

July 2022

Beverly & Paul Alexander

In Memory of

Alby & Wallie Kass

The vibrations of their music will never die away.

June 2022

Mordecai bH

In Blessed Memories of My Mother

Brana Lesnar

who drove me across Philadelphia weekly for four years to study music so she and I could play with the klezmer band she hired for my bar mitsve and who passed unexpectedly on the following Shabes, and of my own dear son Steven Kai, who passed two years ago and had been named after my baby brother who didn’t make it to his first birthday.

June 2022

Elaine Elinson

In Memory Of my Grandmother

Anna Feldman Gomberg

With deep appreciation for the diaries she left us with tales from the banks of the Rostovitsa River to the sweatshops of Chicago.

June 2022

Rosie Gozali

My father picked the car songs we sang on the way to a visit with the relatives or an occasional museum. Along with Americana songs such as, “It’s a grand old flag, it’s a high flying flag,” etc. were songs by the Barry Sisters. Being in the back seat of the car made it impossible to escape them. Oy! Who knew, that decades later I’d be part of the Jewish Folk Chorus of San Francisco, singing those same Barry Sisters songs! I grew to love them and the language they were sung in,Yiddish.

June 2022

Talia Shaham

In Honor of

Yaakov & Shulamit Goldberg

I would like to honor Yaakov and Shulamit Goldberg, nonagenarians in Palo Alto on their birthdays! I’ve known Yaakov and Shulamit most of my life as they were friends with my parents since the 1940’s. They are truly Yiddish culture lovers with deep roots, and have enjoyed KlezCalifornia events over the years and currently. Yaakov especially enjoys the music and has played the harmonica and violin, while Shulamit has always loved the dancing. May their interest in Yiddish culture continue to enrich their lives! Wishing them all the very best with love.

June 2022

Barbara, Marc & Larry

In Memory of our beloved

Alfredo Rothenberg

Never forgotten, always in our hearts and minds.

June 2022

Diana Lieb

In Honor Of

Michael Wex

In honor of Michael Wex and his erudition. I always learn so much when Michael lectures on Yiddish. The more I study Yiddish, the more I appreciate the lived experience and background knowledge he shares.

May 2022

Diana Scott & Joel Schechter

In Memory Of

Barnett Zumoff

(1926-2021), internationally recognized endocrinologist and camp doctor, lover of Yiddish language and culture, translator of Yiddish poetry (Sutzkever, Glatstein), member of Jewish Currents magazine’s editorial board, president of the Workmen’s Circle and the Forward Association, and co-president of the Congress of Jewish Culture. In remembrance, with deep appreciation, of his contributions to Yiddish and “a shenere un besere velt far ale.”

May 2022

Workers Circle/Arbeter Ring of Northern California

In Memory Of

Rochelle Goldman

(1925-2020), classically trained singer and outspoken advocate for the rights of marginalized groups (women, the aged, Muslims, Jews), board member of Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring of Northern California, original teacher of our free bi-weekly Yiddish classes at the SF Public Library (2013 through 2018) which continue online today. In remembrance, with deep appreciation, of her contributions to Yiddish and “a shenere un besere velt far ale.”

May 2022

Ellen Gierson

In Memory Of

My Grandmother Ida

Thank you Grandma Ida ז״ל for instilling in me such wonderful Yidishkayt. You spoke to me in the only language you knew, taught me about how to be in the world: a mensch, of course! Remembering your words: “Do the right thing, keep tzedakah, harm no one, help all, go to shul.”

May 2022

Ellie Schweber

In Honor Of

Jeff Warschauer & Deborah Strauss

for their work keeping Yiddish music alive.

May 2022

Grace & Andrey Feuerverger

In Honor Of

Michael Wex

for his brilliant lecture.

April 2022

Gale Kissin

In Grateful Memory Of

Dena & Kenny Kissin

for the transmission of yidishkayt in language, justice, politics, and music.

April 2022

Janet Weinberg

In Memory Of My Late Husband

Walter

and the beers Michael Wex and Walter shared at KlezKamp. Walter attended to keep me company and enjoyed it so much he told everyone he knew about it and tried to recruit others for the following years. And we can thank Ken Maltz for assuring him he would enjoy it. I now live in Northern Cal but will catch you (Michael Wex) if you come here.

April 2022

Lynn Feingold

In Memory Of My Father

Bobby Feingold

who died at a young age of 52: I was 18. We owned a family department store in a small southern town where he taught us kids Yiddish! My father was a community leader and made sure we were safe as Jews isolated in a small town in the Deep South. He fought for Civil Rights in the 1960’s under the threat of boycott but was able to save our family business. He was a true mensch steeped in Jewish Yiddishe heritage and Southern charm.

April 2022

Raisa Premysler

In Loving Memory Of

My dearest husband, ISAAK, my beloved parents, ANNA and MIKHAIL CHERNOBELSKY, and grandparents, KHASYA GROSMAN and ITZHAK GENDLER. All of the above-mentioned people either taught me or shared my LOVE for Klezmorim! May their memory be always a blessing!

April 2022

Miriam Isaacs

In Memory Of

Professor Dov Noy

The great Yiddish folklorist and Yiddish lover.

April 2022

Barbara Borts

In Memory Of

Abraham Borts

I learned my first Yiddish from the family that immigrated to California, on both my mother and father’s side. My parents were born in Los Angeles, and my brother and I were born in Los Angeles. My parents learned their Yiddish in Boyle Heights, but by the time I was born, there was little Jewish community left there and little Yiddish life altogether in California. But there was Yiddish sprinkled around my family, which ignited my love for Yiddish and, in particular, from tatenyu, my father Avremeleh. I am delighted to support Yiddish life in California, where I was born, from England, where I live.

March 2022

Moreen Libet

In Memory Of our beloved accordion player

Elaine Fingerett

She found and spread fun and joy in music wherever she went. KlezCalifornia workshops provided a special source of nourishment.

March 2022

Alixe Dancer

In Honor Of

My Parents

My parents sent me to JPFO shul 121 and Camp Kinderland.
The best gifts they could have given me.

March 2022

Keith Mostov & Emily L. Silverman

In Memory Of

David C. Levin

Emliy’s late brother-in-law

March 2022

Avram & Ziona Tassa

In Honor Of

Talia Shaham

who exposed me to Yiddish culture.

February 2022

Len Goldschmidt

In Honor Of

Judy Kunofsky

You are doing a great job supporting the revival of Yiddish.

February 2022

Nina Zipkin-Berry

In Memory Of My Grandparents

Joseph & Reyzl Tilles
and David & Manya Zipkin

They were all immigrants and native Yiddish speakers. I inherited my love of Yiddish directly from them. Thank you, Klez California, for keeping this heritage alive!

February 2022

Carol Weiss

In Honor Of

my musical, “The Door to America”

February 2022

Elaine Moise & Bob Brodsky

In Memory Of

Joe & Lillian Grodsky

who loved Yiddish language and culture

February 2022

Jo Falcon

In Honor Of

Mira Z. Amiras

whose wonderful (and wonder-filled) weekly study session Beit Malkhut – A conversation between an anthropologist and a musician along with a growing virtual minyen has transformed my understanding of Judaism – and especially for her lovely animated film, “The Day Before Creation” has been winning awards world-wide – from the Jewzys to the Istanbul Film Awards (Yes! Not a typo). I have no idea why the S.F. Jewish Film Festival missed out but look for this to stream soon. It’s a mekhaye.

February 2022

Howard Freedman

In Memory Of

Jewlia Eisenberg z”l

May her voice continue to be heard.

February 2022

Andres Freedman

In Honor Of

my music teachers

February 2022

Patricia Campbell

In Memory Of My Grandfather

Phillip Taishoff

who claimed he could travel anywhere in the world and get by speaking Yiddish.
And then he did.

February 2022

Anonymous

In honor of my mother of blessed memory

Chava bas Yitzhak

February 2022

Lois Pearlman

In memory of my parents

Beatrice & Samuel Pearlman

And my Grandparents

Malke & Berl Pearlman

who gave me the gift of Yiddish and knowing that the world abounds in the richness of many languages.

February 2022

Henry Goldberg

In honor of

Sara Nicholson Goldberg

In honor of my mother’s deep love of Yiddish, of klezmer music, of dancing, and Jewish culture.

February 2022

Jerryl Lynn Rubin

In Memory of

Sam Oliner, PhD

a Polish holocaust survivor who was rescued by a nearby farm family, and dedicated his work and life to “The Institute of Altruistic Behavior,” studying in three countries why and who risked their lives to rescue a Jewish person. May his memory be a blessing.

February 2022