The KlezCalifornia Honor Wall honors your loved one or friends, or your Yiddish heritage. See Donation Page for details.

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Judy Kunofsky

Talia Shaham

In loving memory of my dear parents Ruth and Jacob Rubin. (March 2012)

Deborah Ann Kohn

In memory of my maternal ancestors, who perished in the barn fire in Jedwabne, Poland, July 1941. (February 2012)

Bruce Feldstein:

Keep up your wonderful projects to break someone's face and heart wide open with some Yidishe joy. (February 2012)

Bernie Weiner and Heidi Linsmayer

Elaine Moise

In memory of Adrienne Cooper. (January 2012)

Joshua & Diane Wirtschafter

In memory of Adrienne Cooper. (January 2012)

Pinny Switzer

In honor of my devoted teachers at the I.L. Peretz Folk Shul in Winnipeg, Canada where I learned to love and appreciate our wonderful mameloshn during the years of my attendance 1943-1952. Those teachers whose names I recall are Basye Fittereman, Aron Zeitlin, Greenberg, Taft, Avrom Lapin, Falik Zolf, Moyshe Cantor and choir leaders Ostov, Browntone. I also want to honor my mother Rose Switzer and all the other dedicated mothers of the Peretz Shul Muter Fareyn, Branch 2. (January 2012)

Robin Braverman

In memory of my grandparents, Pauline and Bundy Lang (January 2012)

Preeva Tramiel

Donates in memory of Chaya Adler. (December 2011)

Betty Albert-Schreck

I wish to honor my parents Pearl (Ray) Albert and Jack Albert. They were both European born and spoke Yiddish as their first language. They had tremendous love and respect for Yiddishkayt and raised their daughters to love their music and culture. My father was a beautiful singer, both in the "village style" and in the New York Jewish Philharmonic Chorus. I thank him for his love and time spent teaching me many Yiddish songs, and translating them in his own special way. (December 2011)

Karen Bergen, Director, Yiddish Choristers, honors founder Lotte Solomon

Lotte Solomon remembers, as a child, listening to records with her music-loving father, everything from classical to cantorial music. As an adult, Lotte -- Yiddishist and violinist -- had a great idea in the 1980s. She started a choral group in the South Peninsula dedicated to performing Yiddish music. The ALS JCC housed the group, eventually known as “The Yiddish Choristers.” Soon the group was listed in the chorus section of the Foothill Community College catalog. Small klezmer groups eventually performed as part of the Choristers. A new director now continues the excellent tradition that Lotte started. (November 2011)

Tony Phillips

My connection to Yiddish might be typical for a California native. My grandparents Carol and Irving Levin grew up speaking Yiddish, but, living in New York City, used it mainly to avoid being understood by their children and eventually grandchildren. In contrast, Irving's brother Joseph, who immigrated when older, always 

mainly spoke and read Yiddish, and his English was limited and thickly accented. For all of them, their origins in the Yiddish-speaking culture was a treasure to be passed on to subsequent generations who lived under easier circumstances. (November 2011)

Harvey Gotliffe

In honor of Philip "Fishl" Kutner (b. 1926). His single-page newsletter on Yiddish in the San Francisco Bay Area became Der Bay, an international, 16-page monthly that covers happenings in Yiddish around the world. His web site, derbay.org, provides a compendium of links into everything Yiddish from activities, teachers, words, publications, to organizations, including the International Association of Yiddish Clubs. Fishl serves on its board, helps plan its annual conferences, and is its webmaster. He's a zamler (collector) for the National Yiddish Book Center, and wrote "Hrabina of Hunterdon," tales about his mother on the family's Yiddish-speaking New Jersey farm. Fishl is a true mentsh. (September 2011)

Rivka, Larry, Rone and Mitch

We honor our mothers, Bea and Dubbie, and our grandparents, Sarah and Saul, who all spoke Yiddish in their homes. We, the children and grandchildren, benefited and are enriched from having been raised in Yiddishkayt - loving households, ever nourished by the words, humor and sounds of Yiddish, the tastes and smells of heymish food, with lots of joy, laughter and love. (July 2011)

Mitchell Shandling

Yes, KlezCalifornia so remarkably promotes our enjoyment of Yiddish-inspired culture. As well, my support commemorates my maternal bobeh/zeydeh, Keyleh and Leyzer Milkman, who provided the music of their heymish Litvak loshn in my childhood. I came into this world hearing these strong gentle Jews sing, but even more speak this beloved language which affords such rich pleasure and learning. As I learn to make my own music in mameloshn, I realize it could never be foreign, as I always remember their music. Zol s'lebn lebedig! (June 2011)

Sheira Kahn

In honor of Avram Kahn, z'l, who founded the Yiddish People's Philharmonic Choir in New York City. (May 2011)

Carole Joffe

I feel lucky to live in a community where there is such incredible klezmer music! (May 2011)

Robin Braverman

My contribution is again in memory of my grandparents, Pauline and Andrew (Bundy) Lang. They lived next door to me growing up and were the source of my knowledge of Jewish life. They taught me whatever I know about Yiddish, and to love the sound of Yiddish -- it reminds me of them. They were fluent native Yiddish speakers. It was their second language after Hungarian. They taught me also about love and kindness, the value of family, spirituality, and to give tzedokeh, no matter how little one has. They live in me and through me to this day. (February 2011)

Anna (Anny) Halberstam Rubin and Family

In honor and in memory of my beloved son Chaskel Shrage (Ed) Rubin z'l, (1952-2009). A brilliant man - accomplished in both secular and Judaic fields of study - he was much admired by family, friends and colleagues alike. He loved the Yiddish language which he spoke well. We miss his radiant presence among us. (February 2011)