Festival director Craig Judelman
It’s gonna be a full and inspring weekend!
Open to everyone, regardless of experience, race, religion or anything else, this workshop will cover a lot of ground in a short time, offering the beginner a crash course, or for the more experienced a chance to dig into the subtleties and find new areas for growth.
Some of our special visiting faculty this year are:
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New York Times bestselling author Michael Wex
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Balkan and Yiddish Music revival hero, legendary singer Ethel Raim
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Legendary Philadephia trumpet player Susan Hoffman-Watts
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Visual artist Benny Ferdman
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Multi-instrumentalist Ilya Shneyveys
Funding for the expansion of our programing in 2024 was made possible in part by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
Celebrate Yiddish Music,
Art & Culture!
Bringing the world’s leading performers and instructors of Ashkenazi art and culture to Seattle, Seattle Yiddish Fest is a weekend of immersion in the expressive heritage of Yiddish speaking Jews and of the community that has blossomed in Seattle and across the globe to honor the depth of Yiddish culture and be moved by the power of its culture.
Cultures never exist in a vacuum and Jewish cultures have always been 'embedded' in the fabric or their neighbors. While traditionally made by Eastern European Jews, we believe this culture is for everyone who appreciates it and strive to create a space where all are welcome to find what resonates with them.
Our Team
New This Year
This year features a full weekend of vocal and instrumental music workshops as well as visual art and language/culture sessions.
We’re also thrilled to be presenting:
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NEW! Our first visual art exhibition featuring the work of Los Angeles-based artist Benny Ferdman (www.bennyferdman.com) on March 7
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Our usual Friday night Shabes gathering/potluck dinner March 8
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NEW! Local band showcase concert on March 9
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NEW! Sunday lecture series featuring experts from across North America on March 10
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"Rapsody in Shmaltz" - our big closing concert at the Royal Room also on March 10
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Workshops in music, song, dance, art and language
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NEW! Online programming for those who can't attend in person
COVID19 SAFETY
We are dedicated to the safety and comfort of our community. Even though we can't make it easy and comfortable for everybody, we have consulted medical professionals and community members to create guidelines to keep our festival safe. We trust our community to take care of each other.
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We ask everybody to test before coming to the workshops at SYF. There will be some tests available on site if you can't obtain one.
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Please avoid any events if you are testing positive.
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All workshop and lecture attendees have to wear masks at all times, unless they are playing a wind instrument. We ask people to remember to put the masks back on after drinking, eating or playing an instrument. Workshops leaders might have to take the mask off.
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Evening events organized by SYF are also masked, Shabes night is a potluck, so we would unmask to eat, but we are holding it in a large space, so people can find what distance works for them.
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We recommend masking at other evening events, however unfortunately we can't demand it at our partner events.
For those who can't attend our events in person some of the program is going to be streamed online.
