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About Us

MISSION
KlezCalifornia is a living resource that connects people and communities with Yiddish culture.

WHAT IS YIDDISH CULTURE?
Yiddish culture encompasses the language, arts, and customs of 1000 years of Jewish community life across Eastern Europe, and now flourishes in the US, Canada, Israel, South Africa, Argentina, and elsewhere. While the Holocaust destroyed Jewish life in most of Eastern Europe, there is a revival of many artistic and cultural components of pre-Holocaust life, including klezmer music and dance; calligraphy, paper cutting, and other traditional arts; and short stories, poetry, and theater (in Yiddish and in translation). As the heyday of Jewish life in Eastern Europe fades into the distant past, its artistic and cultural legacy will thrive as people of all backgrounds explore the rich and diverse traditions.