The Yiddish Folklife Festival of the Finger Lakes (YFFFL) is a new three-day arts and cultural festival in town taking place April 25-27, 2025 at the Lifelong Community Center downtown and other venues.
Featuring live klezmer music, folk dancing, a community potluck, cooking and cultural workshops, a nature talk, an academic lecture, an open mic, and other community events, this intergenerational, all-ages festival is open to the public, including those new to Yiddish music and culture.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
04:30 PM - Not Written on Water: The Movement to Recover Women Who Wrote in Yiddish - A Lecture (Cornell U.)
07:00 PM - Community Potluck, Instrumental Klezmer Jam, Shabes Songs (Lifelong)
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
10:30 AM - Yiddish Nature Walk (Stewart Park; leaves from Lifelong at 10am)
02:00 PM - Dough: Sweet & Savory - A Jewish Cooking Workshop (Lifelong)
DOUGH SWEET & SAVORY: AN ASHKENAZI COOKING WORKSHOP
In this hands-on workshop, we're going to be making 2 classics of Ashkenazi baking, one savory - knishes! - led by caterer Sorke Schneider, and one sweet - rugelakh! - led by chef Aron Gutman.
Knishes are delicious, but not always easy to find, especially in Upstate New York. Good thing they're easy to make! In this workshop, we'll be making two varieties (buckwheat and potato) of this stuffed dough delicacy. Rugelach, sweet filled pastries, are a bit more common, and always a treat. We will make strawberry chocolate rugelach.
All ingredients will be provided. Recipes are vegetarian, and may contain wheat, eggs, and dairy. Please wear close-toed shoes and tie back long hair. Hairnets and face masks will be provided (you are welcome to bring your own). Some participants will be using knives. Workshop is appropriate for children over 12.
04:30 PM - Zingeray - A Yiddish Song Workshop (Lifelong)
07:00 PM - Community Open Mic (Lifelong)
SUNDAY, APRIL 27
11:00 PM - Jewish Paper-cutting Crafts Workshop (Lifelong)
02:00 PM - Yiddish Folk Dance Workshop & Klezmer Dance Party (Library Place Community Room)
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
We thank our partners: Klezmer Ensemble at Cornell University and Jewish Studies at Cornell University for supporting Yiddish Folklife Festival of the Finger Lakes!
We thank our funder: This festival is made possible in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts,
administered by the Community Arts Partnership.
