Edmonton UJA Campaign kickoff features acclaimed Yiddish songbird

(Edmonton) – The Edmonton UJA Campaign kicks off September 19, with Hip, Heymish and Hot…at the Citadel Theatre. The event will feature Yiddish songbird Eleanor Reissa in what is sure to be an unforgettable evening.

Eleanor Reissa is one of the world’s most renowned interpreters of Yiddish music, and an award-winning theatre artist.

“Join us for a delightful evening celebrating gems of Yiddish music and humor,” said Susan Schiffman, Edmonton Jewish Federation Director of Development.

“You don’t need to understand Yiddish to appreciate the joys and warmth of this unique, soulful language. The program includes passionate folk songs, classics of the Second Avenue Theatre, and touching expressions of love, piousness and protest. You’ll laugh, cry and realize you understand more than you thought.”

The community is thrilled to have Eleanor Reissa perform Yiddish “soul music” in Edmonton. There will be an appetizer reception at 6 pm and the show will begin at 7 pm.

In music and theatre Reissa has been on the forefront of keeping Yiddish alive and vibrating – from Tony Kushner’s invitation to read “Where the wild things are” in Yiddish at the star studded Celebration for Maurice Sendak, to revitalizing Yiddish theatre in NYC when she was artistic director of the Folksbiene.

A Brooklyn-born daughter of Holocaust survivors, The New York Times said that Eleanor’s work as a “leading singer of Yiddish songs is a tribute to her family’s resilience.”

 These days she collaborates with exciting new bands as well as solo concerts.  The Los Angeles Times called her “a terrific stage presence with a sure sense of storytelling through song and dance, she has made Yiddish her mission. Sometimes she translated, often she didn’t — there was no need.”

In discovering and presenting the gems of Jewish culture, she has become one of its most precious ones!

Reissa will be performing in Edmonton, accompanied by New York-based Jerry Korman on piano. Korman has served as Music Director for The National Dance Institute for over twenty years. His work has taken him around the world, as well as to Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the White House.

The UJA kickoff event will also include special guest, Sherri Wise, from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Sherri, a survivor of a terror attack in Jerusalem, is a passionate advocate for victims of terrorism.

The Jewish Federation of Edmonton is presenting this exceptional event on September 19, 2019. Admission is $20 for UJA members and $38 for non-members. Seats are limited and must be purchased in advance by calling (780) 487-0585 ext 207 or at jewishedmonton.org. No tickets will be available at the door. An appetizer reception will be held at 6 pm and the show will start at 7 pm.