YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

"YIVO shows the whole part of Jewish creativity to anyone who cares to look — the kind of energy that we as Jews have, the contributions we make; even as we have at times lived in the most difficult of circumstances."

Dirty jokes and sacred texts: YIVO marks 100 years of preserving Yiddish culture Artifacts from 1,000 years of Ashkenazi Jewish life including literary transcripts, Herzl's diary, everyday notes and children's scrawls connect prewar Jews with generations to come

TOMORROW: Explore the fascinating revival of klezmer music through the lens of the YIVO Sound Archive as renowned archivist and Yiddish musician Eléonore Biezunski uncovers the stories, sounds, and cultural movements that shaped this vibrant musical tradition.

The YIVO Sound Archive and the Klezmer Revival On Zoom | Thursday, April 24 at 1:00pm ET

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising commemoration April 23, 1950. Austria. Displaced Persons Camp Poster.

The program included a memorial speech, poems and choirs by members of the youth group Haschomer Hazair (Hashomer Hatzair), and a film screening.

"YIVO has become a legend because of its people and their strive to educate. It survived against all odds because of their spirit and the commitment to the memory of those who came later on, and those who are working there today, to keep our heritage preserved and alive." https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-letters-of-time-lives-and-spirit/

Join humorist Randy Cohen and YIVO’s Jonathan Brent for a special live recording of Person Place Thing, where they uncover the fascinating stories behind three remarkable objects from YIVO’s vast archives.

Person Place Thing with Jonathan Brent In person & on Zoom | Monday, May 5 at 6:30pm ET

"...even unfinished, [Sons and Daughters is] a towering work, a loving lament for the shtetl life of 1920s and ’30s Eastern Europe and a heartrending chronicle of generational schism."

Fiction: Chaim Grade’s ‘Sons and Daughters’ A sprawling Yiddish-language epic looks back on the lost world of Jewish life in the shtetls of early 20th-century Europe.

What role should Jews play in revolutionary movements? Should they act collectively on their own behalf or as indistinct individuals within majority populations in the interest of universalistic ideals? Or was this a false dichotomy?

Two Revolutionary Jews: Leon Trotsky and Chaim Zhitlowsky In Person and on Zoom | Monday, April 28 at 7:00pm ET

"This isn’t just about academic research. It’s about connecting to identity, memory and survival."

The secret stash that saved Yiddish culture—and why St. Louis should care today On Monday, March 24, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research celebrates 100 years of preserving Jewish history, language and culture. And if you’re sitting in St. Louis thinking, “That’s nice, but what does a New York-based archive have to do with me?,” let’s talk. Because 954 miles doesn’t m...

Poster by artist Moshe Apelbaum for a Hebrew Book Exhibition, 1914-1924, in Warsaw. April 12-28, 1924.

TOMORROW: Experience the rich world of Sephardic art song through a two-part event, where an insightful lecture sets the stage for a mesmerizing live recital performed by Dr. Lori Şen, Zoë Johnstone Stewart, and Andrew Stewart.

An Evening of Sephardic Art Song In person & on Zoom | Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00pm ET

Experience the new YIVO online exhibition and hear a Teach the Shoah storyteller bring Yitskhok Rudashevski’s words to life, followed by a panel discussion on memory, storytelling, and education.

Sharing Their Stories: The diary of Yitskhok Rudashevski A special joint program with YIVO & Teach the Shoah

Enjoy a special presentation of State of the Jews, the opera by Alex Weiser and Ben Kaplan.

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Grammy-winning Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble blend the rich sounds of Latin jazz with the timeless melodies of Klezmer and Jewish tradition, live in person and on Zoom.

Part of Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros sonidos festival. Co-presented by Belongó Afro Latin Jazz, American Society for Jewish Music, Borscht Belt Museum, and Leo Baeck Institute - New York.

Falafel, Freilach and Frijoles: From Mambo to Borscht In person & on Zoom | Thursday, May 1 at 7:00pm ET

“We could not have let this [book] die. It had to be out there. It had to be available to the English speaker.”

How the Yiddish writer Chaim Grade’s last novel was rescued from the archives, and wrestled into print - Jewish Telegraphic Agency “Sons and Daughters” is being called “the last great Yiddish novel.”

Warsaw martyrs commemoration (haskore) in bes-medresh (prayer house) Hotel Straubinger on the last day of Pesakh. DP Camp Poster. Camp Bad Gastein, Austria, 1947.

YIVO’s archives hold the stories of Jewish resilience, creativity, and intellectual life—your donation ensures these materials remain accessible to scholars and students around the world.

Make a gift to YIVO today From all of us at YIVO, thank you for being part of our global community!

Labels for Kosher for Passover wine from Edlavitch, Gold's, Manischewitz, and Mt. Zion.

“[T]he stories are endless, and we are an endless people.” https://njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com/its-a-wonderland/