YIVO Yiddish Club: Yiddish Songwriting Today with Adah Hetko

Yiddish Club Admission: Free

Nu, vilst redn a bisele yidish? An event for Yiddish enthusiasts the world over, the YIVO Yiddish club is an informal monthly gathering to celebrate Mame-loshn. Hosted by Shane Baker, sessions take place in English, and are liberally peppered with Yiddish. Each month Baker is joined by a different guest who discusses their work and a related Yiddish cultural theme. In the spirit of a club, sessions are held as interactive zoom meetings in which participants can see and hear one another. Each session includes ample time for audience questions, group discussion, and, time permitting, knock-down, drag-out arguments. Attendees need not know any Yiddish to attend, though some familiarity with the language is highly recommended.

This session features Adah Hetko, a Yiddish singer, songwriter, and educator living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Hetko graduated with a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Indiana University in 2018 and worked as a Graduate Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center from 2018-2019. She has been a fellow and staff member for Yiddish New York and has coordinated multidisciplinary programs for KlezKanada’s 2020 and 2021 retreats. Hetko is lead vocalist and dance leader for klezmer band Burikes and performs with the Yiddish song trio Levyosn. In addition to performing traditional songs, she composes new Yiddish songs and poetry settings, and English-language adaptations and translations.