Honor Wall
In honor or memory of your loved one, or friends, or your Yiddish heritage.
Deborah Kohn
I was born and raised in Cleveland, where I developed a love of the Yiddish language. My parents also were born and raised in Cleveland, but they didn’t learn English until they attended public school’s kindergarten. While Yiddish was spoken in my home, it only was spoken amongst my parents, their parents, and their siblings. On the other hand, until at least the 4th or 5th grade, I never knew the word ‘refrigerator,’ only ‘frigidaire.’
January 2021
Alice Webber
Recognizing the incomparable
Michael Wex
… and the tireless
Judy Kunofsky
January 2021
Carolann Biederman
In Honor of
Laura Sheppard
January 2021
Dmitry Budker
In Honor of
the millions of victims
of communist terror in Russia and elsewhere. Let us not forget!
January 2021
Anita & Steven Feinstein
In Honor of
Judy Kunofsky
Judy, thank you for all you do to bring Yiddishkayt to the world.
January 2021
Jeffrey Hoffen
Our deepest condolences over the passing of
Reuben Rosloff
May your many memories be for a blessing.
Love, Cheryl, Jeff, Jeremy, Jessica
January 2021
Howard Freedman
In memory of
David Schneer
who remains a shining light.
January 2021
Carol Dorf
In memory of
Elsie Pinkowitz
who was very proud of her English Elocution,
but knew more Yiddish than she let on.
December 2020
Preeva Tramiel
In memory of
Charlotte Kaufman Adler
December 2020
Deborah Pines
I am grateful
that you are presenting interesting events,
while we are stuck in our homes.
December 2020
Rabbi Stuart Kelman
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky
October 2020
Sue Frank
In honor of
Rabbi Yechiael Lander
friend, rabbi and my first teacher of Yiddish
October 2020
Ed Anisman & Claire Sherman
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky & the rest of the board
all a source of inspiration!
October 2020
Judy Kunofsky
In honor of
Tony Phillips
October 2020
Gail Rubman
In memory of
Louise Reiter
A good friend to so many. Sing out Louise!
September 2020
Elaine Elinson
In memory of my dad
Jack Elinson
who loved the Yiddish language and singing “The Internationale” in Yiddish — the version he learned at Camp KinderVelt.
September 2020
Karen K. Bergen
In memory of
Monroe & Mort Postrell
Brothers who spoke and loved Yiddish, and sang with the Yiddish Choristers for many years. May their memories be a blessing.
September 2020
Rosalyn Becker
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky
September 2020
Jerryl Lynn Rubin
In honor of the first ever
Humboldt Yiddish Music Festival
February 22-23, 2020
September 2020
Deborah Pines
In loving memory of
Doris W. Cohen
My mother, whom I miss every day. She loved that I was learning Yiddish, and always joked that I was the first person in the family to speak it
August 2020
Renee Enteen
In memory of
Larry Enteen
My father, who worked for justice and gave respect to ALL.
August 2020
Abby Marcus
In loving memory of
Scheindel & Josef Markusfeld
I hope to meet them in Heaven, so that I can thank them for coming to America.
August 2020
Dmitry Budker
In memory of
The Musicians
who perished in the Lenin/Stalin GULAG.
July 2020
Harvey Gotliffe
In honor of
Arona Basha Gotliffe
for all she is doing every day to make this world a better place.
July 2020
Nora Guthrie
In loving memory of
My sister Bobby Burley, my niece Linda Baker, and my aunt Pat Becketti.
July 2020
Gail Rubman
In memory of my parentS
Kermit and Sybil Meltz
whose love and commitment to each other were an inspiration
February 2020
Robin Braverman
In memory of my maternal grandparents
Pauline and Andrew (Bundy) Lang
January 2020
Cynthia Whitehead
In honor of the new
Yiddish Theatre Ensemble
January 2020
Michael Perlmutter
In honor of
KlezCalifornia’s Work
to sustain and grow Yiddish culture. KlezCalifornia has been, and continues to be, an important source and connection to klezmer music and its associated culture
January 2020
Emily Brewer, MD
In memory of my father
Richard Brewer
January 2020
Eli Wirtschafter
In honor of
My Mama
December 2019
Ellen Gierson
In Memory of
Grandma Ida
December 2019
Anita and Steven Feinstein
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky
December 2019
Dorrit Geshuri
in memory of
Baile Weiss Nayman
December 2019
Rabbi Stuart Kelman
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky
December 2019
Judy Kunofsky
IN MEMORY OF
Pauline (Levine) Kunofsky
& Israel Kunofsky
my parents.
December 2019
Frank Fox and Moreen Libet
In honor of
Judy Kunofsky
Especially for Judy’s hard work!
December 2019
Celia and Paul Concus
IN honor OF
Marian Concus
December 2019
Lea Delson
I am donating to honor Judy Kunofsky, whose endless energy, enthusiasm and determination contribute greatly to KlezCalifornia and the revival of Yiddish culture in the Bay Area. Kol HaKavod!
November 2019
Tony Phillips
My connection to Yiddish might be typical for a California native of my generation. My grandparents Carol and Irving grew up speaking Yiddish but, living in New York City, spoke it mainly to avoid being understood by their children and grandchildren. In contrast, Uncle Joseph, who immigrated when older, mainly spoke and read Yiddish, and his English was limited and thickly accented. That generation’s origins in the Yiddish-speaking world is a treasure to be passed on to subsequent generations who enjoy easier circumstances.
August 2019
Jacob Koff
Three of my grandparents were born here but becoming American meant being Jewish was the religion only. They did not think Yiddish important enough to teach to their descendents. Our home was devoid of Yiddish literature (in any language) and music. My father, who played 4 instruments and (to my later surprise) knew traditional Yiddish songs, never played them or taught them to us. When he bought me the Yiddish Fake Book, I fell in love. The more I played, the more crushing the realization of what was lost. Thank goodness for those who work to preserve this beautiful culture.
August 2019
Harvey Leonard Gotliffe
TO HONOR
those who have taught me so much about life, in and out of classrooms, and are no longer around to offer me more of an education. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to share time, thoughts, and love with each of them: Misha Caspi, Gordon Greb, Michael Ego, Jimi Yamaichi, Great Uncle Samuel Goldsmith, Chayale Ash, Leonard Salle, Chungliang Al Huang, Jack Fields, Robert Dale Johnson, Roger Tatarian, Wallace Sheldon Shanbrom, Edith Tarjan, and my dear parents Hilda and Henry Gotliffe.
June 2019
Millie Chazin
IN MEMORY OF
Julian Chazin, Beckie & Abraham Becker
In memory of my husband, Julian Chazin, and my parents, Beckie (Rivka Sklar) Becker and Abraham (Abie) Becker who did not let me forget our Yiddish language and culture and who inspired me to learn more of our history and to work to perpetuate our Yiddish culture
Pinny [Paul] Switzer
IN HONOR OF
Teachers at the Peretz School
I wish to honor my teachers at the Peretz School in Winnipeg, Canada, 1945-1952. We had classes in Yiddish all morning Monday through Friday on an array of subjects, starting with learning to read and write, and progressing through history, literature, tanakh, and Hebrew language. These teachers included Lapin, Zolf, Cantor, Halper, Greenberg, Tseitlin, Taft, and Fiterman.
April 2019
Judith Offer
IN MEMORY OF
Sigmund & Rosa Spitzer
I was raised a Catholic, but my paternal great grandparents, Sigmund and Rosa Spitzer, were Orthodox Jews. They immigrated in 1905 from Hungary to Niagara Falls, opening the first kosher restaurant in upstate New York. Their son, my “Grampa Rudy,” married a Catholic; their children were raised Catholic. I married a Jew, Stuart Offer. My work includes two plays based on Jewish themes/history, “A Shirtwaist Tale” and “It Could Always be Worse; a poem about Yiddish published in J Magazine, and one coming out in September in “CCAR Journal: A Reform Jewish Quarterly,” “On Studying Sacred Texts.”
April 2019
Nava Shaham
IN HONOR OF
Talia Shaham
for her hard work for KlezCalifornia and her extended family.
April 2019
Preeva Tramiel & Leonard Tramiel
IN MEMORY OF
Chaya Adler
February 2019
Elaine Moise & Bob Grodsky:
IN MEMORY OF
Joseph & Lillian Grodsky
who loved the Yiddish language and culture.
February 2019
Robin Braverman
IN MEMORY OF
Pauline & Andres "Bundy" Lang
my maternal grandparents.
February 2019
Howard Freedman
L'KOVED
Judy Kunofsky
February 2019
Betsy Eckstein
IN HONOR OF
Renee Enteen
January 2019