Renee Ghert-Zand is a reporter and feature writer for The Times of Israel.
The Moorish Zionist Temple, Harlem, NY, 1929 (James Van Der Zee/The Folklore Research Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem via the National Library of Israel Digital Collection)
Early 1920s newspaper ads for the blockbuster New York Yiddish stage shows
Yente Telebende (Loquacious Battle‐Ax), featured a Black artist among the spotlighted performers. This was Thomas LaRue, a Yiddish-speaking singer widely known in the interwar period as
der schvartzer khazan (The Black Cantor).
Although long-forgotten now, LaRue (who sometimes used the surname Jones) was among the favorites of Yiddish theater and cantorial music. Reportedly raised in Newark, New Jersey, by a single mother who was drawn to Judaism, he even drew interest from beyond the US.
December 20, 2020 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Free
Klezmer expert Henry Sapoznik talks about Black singers who performed Yiddish and cantorial music in the Jewish community, with samples of a rare, 1923 recording. Presented by the Jewish LearningWorks. Free, with registration.Event Website
2020 Hanukkah Special, with Suzanne Portello
Posted by KCAW Staff | Dec 16, 2020
This year, we were excited to partner with Suzanne Portello on creating a special aired on the first night of Hanukkah. From Suzanne’s first note to us:
I was wrapping Hanukkah presents early this morning to mail to Calif. (as is my custom), and I put on a mix of five of Will’s music CDs to get me in the mood (as is also my custom). As I was listening and wrapping, I realized this was a GREAT mix(!) and thought I wish there was some way I could share this with other Sitkans. These are the five CDs (which range, loosely speaking, from the sacred to the profane):