Lost Yiddish Songs From Ukrainian Ghetto Find New Voice In Shanghai

A unique cultural event is set to captivate audiences in Shanghai as lost Yiddish songs from a World War II ghetto in Ukraine make their Asian debut. This groundbreaking project, spearheaded by University of Toronto academic Anna Shternshis and acclaimed songwriter Psoy Korolenko, promises a compelling fusion of live music and insightful lectures.

The choice of Shanghai as the venue is particularly significant, given the city's own rich history as a haven for Jewish refugees during the war. Shternshis noted that Shanghai's past lends an extra layer of meaning to the performances, creating a powerful dialogue between historical experiences.

This initiative marks a rare cultural moment, as these will be only the third Yiddish-language concerts held in mainland China in the past 60 years. Shternshis and Korolenko have previously released two albums of this rediscovered music, including the Grammy-nominated "Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II." The songs themselves were originally collected by Soviet ethnologist Moisei Beregovsky in the 1930s and 40s, a dangerous undertaking that led to his imprisonment in the Gulag by Stalin's government. His work, tragically, remained unperformed until recent years, adding a poignant historical weight to this revival.

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He was arrested by Stalin’s government for doing this work, ended up in the gulag, and was released only in 1956. He never got to see those songs performed on stage.