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)
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)
Cutting pictures out of paper is a traditional Eastern European folk art. Jewish paper cuts are called "papir shnitte" and often incorporate designs such as menorahs, animals, the Tree of Life; and the walled city of Jerusalem. They are created by folding a piece of paper in half, cutting the design through both pieces of paper with a craft knife (such as an X-Acto knife), and unfolding the completed paper cut like a valentine heart. The design is then pasted onto a larger piece of paper or cardstock of a contrasting color.
In this hands-on workshop, Itke McCrea will teach us about the art of Jewish paper cutting with some inspiring examples, including images she has designed and cut herself based on this recognizable traditional style. Then, workshop participants will have a chance to experiment with drawing and cutting their own Jewish paper cut images. Paper cuts can be hung in a window or displayed against a contrasting colored background. All materials (various types and colors of paper, and X-Acto knives or scissors) will be provided.
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.
