The Season of Jewish Culture

Making Jewish culture accessible and meaningful to all

ABOUT THE SEASON OF JEWISH CULTURE

The 14th Street Y has consistently worked with the Downtown Jewish Life network to present The Season of Jewish Culture, a series of innovative programs running from Passover to Shavuot highlighting culture makers of all kinds—artists, performers, storytellers and writers.

Throughout the Season of Jewish Culture, there will be virtual performances and events that reinvigorate the vision of Jewish culture, bringing the East Village and Lower East Side’s rich Jewish heritage into your own home.

Upcoming Events

Yom HaShoah

Wednesday, April 7 | 7:00 – 8:00 PM | Register here 

The Downtown Jewish Life community will gather in remembrance of the many lives lost in the Holocaust. Through song, stories and prayer, community leaders will create a space to ensure that future generations never forget the past while paving a future with unity and hope.

 

LABA Presents: Grandfather Visit
A dance testimony piece in the memory of Prof. Kalman Perk

Friday, April 9 | 5:00 PM | Register here

LABA Fellow Doron Perk talks about his grandfather Kalman and shares fragments of his solo dance performance inspired by his many visits with him, the stories he told, the things they talked about, and the way they sat and had tea.

In July of 1944, in a crowded cattle wagon headed to the death camps, 14-year-old Kalman was chosen by his family to survive by escaping through the narrow window. As his grandchild, Doron chooses to keep his memory alive by using his moving body as a vessel for feelings and sensations he remembers having while being together.

 

Letters (Hi)story

Sunday, April 11 | 5:00 – 6:00 PM | Watch here 

This virtual Yom Ha’atzmaut event is a filmed journey through personal letters by Israeli writers and poets, from the public to the personal on the day of the creation of the state of Israel.

Join us on a unique and personal experience from the past to the present through the eyes of artists’ responses guided by the artistic directors of the Gnuzim project within the treasures of the personal and historical archives inside Beit Ariella.

Experience new work by Victoria Hanna, Merav Shacham, followed by a live conversation with Zvi Sahar (Ensemble Itim) and Anat Safran (Pacha Kucha Israel), and Ronit Muszkatblit (LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture)
Gnuzim is an artistic project where Israeli creators from different disciplines are invited to react to an old letter from the writers’ archive in Tel Aviv. The letters and the artistic reactions (video arts, songs, performances, etc.) are all gathered in the project’s website: www.gnuzim.com.

Letter (Hi)story is a collaboration between Gnuzim and LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture, a program of the 14th street Y.


Highlights from 2020 Season of Jewish Culture included:
Tikkun: Into the Night 

Thursday, May 28, 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM | Watch the video here.

The 14th Street Y and Downtown Jewish Life partners are proud to end our Season of Jewish Culture as we celebrate Shavuot on May 28 at 6:00 PM via the virtual 14th Street Y, with our own digital re-interpretation of a Tikkun.
Led by the Downtown Jewish Life Community, the evening will include artistic engagement, performances, and text study in Hebrew and English.
Let the mysteries begin and join us on the journey into the night.

Pause/Play: The BEST of the 14th Street Y
Shabbaton Atzmaut Edition

Saturday, May 2, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Watch the video here.

The 14th Street Y is launching a new Virtual Membership starting May 1 and what better way to kick it off than with a digital reinterpretation of Pause/Play!

Join us for a fun-filled day of live-streaming classes, workshops, and entertainment via Facebook Live. this virtual event will feature everything from fitness classes to sing-alongs the whole family can enjoy, and even a cocktail making class! There will truly be something for everyone!

PAUSE/PLAY, which is also part of our Season of Jewish Culture, we will be celebrating Israel’s birthday with special cultural lectures and artistic delights.

Yom Haatzmaut

Monday, April 27, 7:00 PM | Free | Watch the video here.

We will be celebrating this year’s Yom Haatzmaut with an online lecture by award winning Israeli Journalist Amir Tibob on the impact of the coronavirus over Israeli politics, briefing the risks and opportunities it possesses.  Ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, join award-winning Israeli journalist  Amir Tibon for an online briefing on these crucial times in Israel. Amir, currently the Washington Correspondent for Haaretz newspaper, will discuss the recent events and answer questions on the subject.

Mimouna

Sunday, April 19, 5:00 PM | Watch the video here.

During Passover, Jews are forbidden to eat all bread and leaven.  In Morocco, Jews open their homes on the last day of Passover to their Muslim neighbors to celebrate the end of those restrictions.  Join us Sunday, April 19 at 5:00 PM for a FREE online Mimouna musical show, featuring enchanting Moroccan tunes played by the musician Jawad Bouhssina, followed by a Talkback that will shed light on the holiday’s origin and the importance of interfaith initiatives in 2020.

Yom Hashoah

Monday, April 20, 7:00 PM | Watch the video here.

The Downtown Jewish Life community will gather in remembrance of the many lives lost in the Holocaust.  Through song, stories and prayer, community leaders will create a space to ensure that future generations never forget the past while paving a future with unity and hope. 

ABOUT THE 14TH STREET Y

The 14th Street Y is a vibrant community center grounded in the belief that contemporary Jewish sensibilities can be a source of inspiration, connection, and learning for the individuals and families we serve throughout downtown Manhattan. We focus on health and fitness, education and enrichment programs, and innovative arts and cultural programming.

We serve more than 26,000 people annually with a variety of community programs. The 14th Street Y is part of Educational Alliance, whose network of community centers also includes the Center for Recovery and Wellness, the Manny Cantor Center, the Sirovich Center, and Educational Alliance Community Schools.

ABOUT EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE

The 14th Street Y is part of Educational Alliance. Educational Alliance brings together and partners with diverse communities in Lower Manhattan, offering individuals and families high-quality, multi-generational programs and services that enhance their well-being and socioeconomic opportunities. We are a place where everyone is welcome and where progress is powered one relationship at a time. We are proud of our legacy as a Jewish organization and we provide high-quality, transformational services and programs to all New Yorkers through our network of community centers on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and East Village. As we have for 130 years, we offer best-in-class programming–now across 15 sites—focusing on a mix of education, health and wellness, arts and culture, and civic engagement.

Learn more about Educational Alliance, including volunteer and job opportunities, by visiting edalliance.org.