Page 14-THE NEWS-August, 1988
Yiddish institute Celebrated lOtii Anniversary
Student’s Views of Institute
We Were There,
What a wonderful experi
ence we had attending the
10th anniversary celebration
of the Charlotte Yiddish Insti
tute at Wildacres! We had
promised ourselves we would
attend a Yiddish Institute
“one of these years” and we
finally did. We had hecird so
much about the Institute from
the Luskis, the Pranskys and
the Goldmans, but the week
end surpassed anything we
had imagined.
Not only was it nostsilgic,
education^, stimulating and
informative, but it was a won
derful social event. There were
so many interesting people
from near and feu-: Philadel
phia, Great Neck, Minneapo
lis, Chicago, Houston and
cities up and down the Atlan
tic coast from Connecticut to
Florida. A.U had the same pur
pose in mind: to hear Yiddish,
to speak Yiddish, to learn Yid
dish and to enjoy the memo
ries of yesteryear when Yid
dish was the language of our
parents and grandparents.
Yiddish was the common bond
that linked us together.
The setting was unique.
Wildacres is located high on a
mountain top in the Blue
Ridge Mountains overlooking
Mount Mitchell. The scenery
was breathtaking as the dog
wood and other trees were just
coming into full bloom. Acti
vities were held in a beautiful
new auditorium with a magnif
icent view of the outside, in
the lecture halls, and on the
patios overlooking the moun
tains.
After registering on Thurs
day and being assigned to our
rooms, we gathered for our
first meal in the lovely dining
hall. AU the meals, served
family style at tables for 12,
were delicious and were fol
lowed by the traditional
Birkhat Hamazon.
The days and early evenings
were spent in workshops, lis
tening to lectures and poetry,
seeing films, and being enter
tained by Pearl Lang, an inter
nationally acclaimed dancer
and choreographer, as well as
an interpreter of Yiddish
poetry, and Chayele Ash smd
Avram Fuhrman, two famous
performers from the original
Yiddish theatre.
Leaders of the workshops
were Abe Holtzman, Sam Wal
lace, Abe Liuski, Bob Freed
man and Marvin Bienstock.
Pearl Lang, formerly a
soloist with the Martha
Graham Dance Company, is
director of the Pearl Lang Dance
Company that ws begun in
1952. She and her dance com
pany, which have appeared
on TV in the United States,
Canada and Europe, presented
an exciting and beautiful film
entitled “Shirim,” a Talmudic
ballet in which she was the
principal performer. Also, she
showed two other films, “Chas-
sidic Dance” and “the
Megillah Esther,” which she
also choreographed. In Yid
dish readings and poetry Pearl
Lang described the life and
works of Itzik Manger and
gave excerpts from the works
of Chaim Nachman Bialik,
Rabbi Abraham Heschel and
Elie Wiesel.
By Shirley and Sol Levine
Planting of dogwood tree at Wildacres in honor of Charlotte Yiddish In
stitute’s tenth year at Wildacres. Rabbi Lazer Hoffman officiated.
Everyone got a piece of the Anniversary cake.
Guest performers: Die Yiddishe Bande-Klezmer Band (L); Chayele Ash
and Avram Fuhrman. All photos/Sam Wallace
Chayele Ash began her
career at age 6, touring with
her performing parents through
out Russia. She came to Israel
in 1928 where she organized
their first Yiddish theatre.
Since 1962 she has resided in
Philadelphia, where she founded
the Yiddish Musical Comedy
Theatre, conducts Yiddish
classes, and appeeu’s on TV.
Avram Fuhrman was a mem
ber of the Yiddish Theatre in
the USSR. Residing in Phila
delphia since 1951, he has been
choral director and soloist at
Temple Tikvah-Israel and has
toured extensively with the
Yiddish Musical Comedy The
atre.
Together Chayele Ash and
Avram Fuhrman entertained
us with their acting and sing
ing as they presented several
sketches of Yiddish life as por
trayed in the Yiddish Theatre.
Most enjoyable was a skit des
cribing the marriage plans be
tween the mother of the bride-
to-be and the father of the
groom-to-be. Another delight
ful portrayal was Chayele
Ash’s interpretation of
Sholom Aleichem’s influence
on the Yiddish theatre. This,
too, was illustrated with a
humorous skit. Even if one’s
understanding of Yiddish was
somewhat limited, the humor
and the pathos of Yiddish life
were understood by all.
We were further entertained
each evening by a Klezmer
group known as Die Yiddishe
Bande, followed by Yiddish
dancing led by Adam Holtz
man, and refreshments in the
canteen coordinated by Mae
Goldman.
The weekend was greatly
enhanced by the daily min-
yans and the Friday evening
and Sabbath morning services
so ably conducted in Hebrew
and Yiddish by John Pransky,
Julius Goldman and Samuel
Wallace.
Our heartfelt thanks to the
following members of the
Charlotte Yiddish Institute
Committee who gave so much
of their energy, time and effort
to make this weekend such a
memorable Jewish happening:
Sarah and George Ackerman,
Marvin Bienstock, Mae and
Julius Goldman, Rose and
Abraham Luski, Bobbie Pol
lard, Baila and John Pransky,
and Elkie and Stanley Tul-
man. Hope we’ll be seeing you
at the next Institute!
The following is a letter and excerpts of a report received from
Elke Goldin, who is a student of Yiddish in the Judaic Studies
program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His
teacher is Assistant Professor Hannah Kliger. Elke is marri^,
a father of two, who wanted to learn Yiddish so he could im
part it to his children for them to treasure the langua^ and
culture and ensure that Yiddish will survive for generations to
come.
Tyerer freynt Baila:
It was wonderful to meet you and everyone else at the
Charlotte Yiddish Institute. Many thanks for giving me the op
portunity to go. I’ve been doing a lot of talking about it since
I returned and hopefully my enthusiasm is catching. I hope to
do more, especially when the 1989 Institute is announced. I
would certainly like to return. My experience at the Institute
has made a very strong impression on me.
I have enclosed a report about my experience at the Institute
in Yiddish and English (which was read to classmates in the
Yiddish Studies program).
I look forward to seeing you next year and if I can do anything
to help recruit students, please let me know. Again, a grosn
dank for having me.
Mit Yiddishe cultur grussn, deyn freynt,
Elke
“Today I will tell you about my trip to the Charlotte Yiddish
Institute in North Carolina. It was a far trip (about 900 miles)
with lots of rain and little sleep.
“My expectations for the Institute were simple. I expected to
meet hamish people...this was indeed true. I also expected to
leam more Yiddish...and yes, I learned more Yiddish. However,
the Institute was so much more. In one word, it was
WONDERFUL.
“When I arrived, everyone who saw me greeted me wai’mly
and the warmth never stopped. The same was true for aU new
comers, not only young students.
“I wasn’t prepared for such an emotional and spiritual ex
perience. I had a Yiddish life for three days and I’m a different
person for the experience. Not only did I make friends, which
I didn’t expect, but family as well. I spoke with people about
their family histories. I spoke with geneologists. Holocaust sur
vivors, collectors of Yiddish songs, and others. The people had
incredible spirit the location was beautiful, at the top of a
mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“The program was diverse and continued from 8 a.m. until
after midnight. It was very integrated: Yiddish, Judaism, Yid
dish theater and dance, singing, folk dancing, Yiddish classes
and prayer. We prayed partly in Yiddish. The Institute was an
inspiration and certainly increased my desire to leam Yiddish
and about Yiddishkeit. The speakers spoke generally in Yid
dish, but some spoke first in English. I understood quite a bit,
except when they spoke fast, and my friends helped me with
the rest. An important part of the program was food: three big
meals a day plus snacks. By Sunday I was stuffed.
“People from the Institute feel that Yiddish should be con
tinued by the younger generations. This experience certainly
brought me closer to Jewish history and the Jewish family. The
Institute was one of the best Jewish experiences in my life. The
people from the Institute want young i>eople to attend and I
recommend it to you.”
illciEuien IFuncral ^cruicE, 3nc.
Approved by
Rabbi Marc Wilson
Rabbi Robt. Selgel
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