Artists of Yiddishland
This page is dedicated to portraits of leading artists working within contemporary Yiddish culture. Photographed across different countries and contexts, these musicians, actors, and performers represent a living Yiddishland — one that exists beyond geography, carried through voice, memory, and artistic practice. Rather than documenting a tradition of the past, these portraits focus on individuals who continue to shape and redefine Yiddish culture today. Each image is part of an ongoing dialogue between heritage and the present moment, where personal stories, artistic expression, and cultural continuity intersect.
Through these encounters, the project highlights not only the diversity of Yiddish artistic life, but also the people who sustain it — on stage, in music, and in everyday life.
Michael Alpert
Michael Alpert is an American musician, singer, and scholar of traditional Yiddish culture, known for his key role in the revival of klezmer music since the late 20th century.
Maia Morgenstern is a Romanian actress known for her powerful presence in both theatre and film. Internationally, she is recognized for her role as Mary in The Passion of the Christ, but her work extends far beyond cinema into a long and influential stage career.
Andrei Makarevich is widely known as the founder of the legendary rock band Mashina Vremeni, but his artistic path extends far beyond rock music. In recent years, Makarevich has turned towards jazz and Yiddish musical traditions, exploring a unique blend often described as Yiddish jazz.
Alan Bern is an American-born musician, composer, and cultural activist, widely recognized as one of the central figures in the revival and reimagining of Yiddish music today. A co-founder of Brave Old World, he has played a key role in bringing klezmer into contemporary artistic dialogue. B
Frank London
Frank London is an American trumpeter, composer, and a central figure in contemporary klezmer and Yiddish music. He is a founding member of The Klezmatics, a Grammy Awards-winning ensemble known for redefining Jewish music through bold, cross-genre experimentation.
Lorin Sklamberg
Lorin Sklamberg is an American vocalist and one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Yiddish music. As a founding member of The Klezmatics, a Grammy Awards-winning group, he has played a key role in bringing Yiddish song to international audiences.
Lisa Gutkin
Lisa Gutkin is an American violinist, singer, and composer, and a key figure in contemporary klezmer and Yiddish music. She is a longtime member of The Klezmatics, a Grammy Awards-winning ensemble known for redefining Jewish musical traditions. Gutkin contributed as a musician to the soundtrack of the famous TVShow Sex and the City.
Polina Shepherd
Polina Shepherd is a British-based singer, pianist, and composer, known for her work in Yiddish song and Eastern European Jewish music traditions. Born in Siberia and later based in the UK.
Psoy Korolenko is a singer-songwriter, performer, and cultural figure known for his unique blend of Yiddish, Russian, and global musical traditions. His work moves freely between languages, genres, and references — from folklore and klezmer to avant-garde and urban song.
Deborah Strauss is an American violinist and one of the leading figures in contemporary klezmer music. Her work is deeply rooted in traditional Eastern European Jewish repertoire, shaped by years of research, study, and close engagement with historical sources.
Mark Kovnatskiy
Mark Kovnatskiy is a violinist and composer known for his work in klezmer and Eastern European Jewish music traditions. Based in Germany, Kovnatskiy is part of a new generation of musicians engaging deeply with historical sources while developing a distinctly personal sound.
Jeff Warschauer is an American musician, guitarist, and one of the key figures in the contemporary revival of Yiddish music. A longtime performer and teacher, Warschauer has dedicated his work to both the preservation and transmission of Yiddish song and klezmer traditions.
Efim Chorny is a singer, actor, and director, and one of the leading figures in contemporary Yiddish theatre and song.
Based in Chișinău, Moldova, he is the founder of a Yiddish theatre that brings together music, drama, and literary tradition.
Sasha Lurje is a singer and performer known for her work in Yiddish song and Eastern European musical traditions. Born in Latvia and based in Europe, Lurje is recognized for her expressive voice and deep connection to traditional repertoire.
Svetlana Kundish is a singer and performer known for her work in Yiddish song and traditional Jewish music. Her voice is characterized by clarity and emotional depth, rooted in a careful engagement with historical repertoire.
Daniel Kahn is an American-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for his work at the intersection of Yiddish music, political song, and theatre. Based in Hamburg, he is the frontman of The Painted Bird, a group that blends klezmer with punk, cabaret, and protest traditions.
Sanne Möricke
Sanne Möricke is an accordionist and performer working within contemporary klezmer and Yiddish music. Her playing is rooted in traditional repertoire while remaining open to interpretation and collaboration. Based in Berlin, Germany.
Marilyn Lerner is a Canadian pianist, composer, and improviser known for her work at the intersection of klezmer, free improvisation, and contemporary music. Based in Toronto, Canada.
Michael Winograd
Michael Winograd is an American clarinetist, composer, and one of the leading figures in the contemporary klezmer revival.
Based in New York, USA.
Michael Wex
Michael Wex is a Canadian author, translator, and one of the most prominent contemporary voices on Yiddish language and culture. Best known for his book Born to Kvetch, he combines scholarship with humor, making Yiddish language and its cultural context accessible to a wide audience.
Shane Baker is an American actor, director, and translator, known for his work in Yiddish theatre.
He is one of the few contemporary performers working extensively in the Yiddish language on stage, bringing classic and modern texts to life for today’s audiences.
Mitya Khramtsov is a violinist, dancer, and cultural practitioner working at the intersection of klezmer music and Jewish dance traditions. He is a co-founder of Dobranotch, an ensemble known for its energetic interpretations of East European Jewish music.
Ilya Shneyveis and Sarah Myerson
Ilya Shneyveis and Sarah Myerson are artists working at the intersection of klezmer music and Jewish dance traditions. Shneyveis, an accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, is known for his dynamic approach to klezmer, combining historical knowledge with contemporary performance. Myerson is a dancer, choreographer, singer, and cantor.
Susi Evans is a British clarinetist and one of the prominent voices in contemporary klezmer music. Her playing is deeply rooted in traditional Eastern European Jewish repertoire, informed by close study of historical recordings and stylistic nuances.
Craig Judelman is an American violinist whose work moves between klezmer and American roots music traditions.
Originally rooted in country and fiddle music, his playing brings a strong sense of rhythm, phrasing, and groove into Yiddish repertoire.
Amit Weisberger
Amit Weisberger is an Israeli-born violinist and singer working within contemporary klezmer and Yiddish music. His playing is rooted in traditional Eastern European Jewish repertoire, while shaped by a modern, exploratory approach.
Mendy Cahan is a singer, actor, and one of the leading figures in the revival of Yiddish culture in Israel. Born in Belgium and based in Tel Aviv, he is the founder of Yung Yidish, a center dedicated to the preservation and transmission of Yiddish language, literature, and music.
Merlin Shepherd is a British clarinetist and one of the leading specialists in traditional klezmer music. Based in UK.
Walter Zev Feldman
Walter Zev Feldman is a scholar, musician, and one of the leading researchers of klezmer music and East European Jewish dance. His work combines decades of archival research with practical engagement in both music and dance, focusing on the reconstruction of historical forms and their cultural contexts.
Jake Shulman-Ment
Jake Shulman-Ment is an American violinist and one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary klezmer music.
Having spent extended time in Romania, he is also deeply influenced by Romanian musical traditions, which shape his phrasing, rhythm, and sound.
Stella Morgenstern
Stella Morgenstern is a German-born singer working in the field of Yiddish song and Jewish music.
Her work often includes collaborations with musicians from the klezmer scene, as well as performances in concert and festival contexts.
Annette Ezekiel Kogan
Annette Ezekiel Kogan is a singer, accordionist, and the founder of the New York–based band Golem.
Aaron Diskin
Aaron Diskin is a vocalist and performer, known for his work with Golem. His performance combines elements of theatre, physical expression, and vocal experimentation, contributing to the band’s distinctive stage presence.
Sayumi Yoshida is a Japanese-born dancer and performer based in Berlin since the 1980s. Her work engages with Jewish and klezmer dance traditions, focusing on movement as a form of cultural expression and transmission.
Yeva Lapsker is a dancer, visual artist, and performer working within contemporary Yiddish cultural contexts. Her practice brings together Jewish dance traditions, tango, and visual art, exploring movement as a form of expression and cultural memory.
Avia Moore is a dancer, performer, and cultural organizer working within contemporary Yiddish and Jewish contexts. Alongside her work as a dancer, she serves as a director of KlezKanada, contributing to one of the key platforms for Yiddish culture, education, and artistic exchange.
Slava Farber
Slava Farber is a Yiddish singer born in Vertujeni, Moldova. Yiddish was his native language.
Eyal Talmudi is an Israeli musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, known for his work across klezmer, Balkan, and Middle Eastern musical traditions.