New film celebrates global Yiddish resurgence

Growing up, Ros Horin wasn’t encouraged to learn Yiddish.

Her parents were part of the post-war generation that believed speaking the language on the streets would provoke antisemitism.

“They were ashamed of Yiddish,” Horin told The Jewish Independent. “My parents felt like it was the language of the old world, of victims, so they only used it to tell secrets with my grandmother.”

When – much to her surprise – Horin began to notice a growing trend amongst young people to reclaim Yiddish, she felt compelled to investigate.

The result is Welcome to Yiddishland, Horin’s third documentary, which exposes an international community of creatives devoted to the Yiddish language and culture.

“There’s a line in the film from musician Daniel Kahn which really stays with me. He says, ‘I always knew I was Jewish, but I didn’t have Jewish’. That’s how I felt a lot of the time growing up,” said Horin, who is based in Sydney.

“Some people identify their Jewishness through religion or by unconditionally supporting Israel, but I quickly became aware that Yiddish was a different way of identifying as a Jew.

“The Yiddish language is the key that unlocks the rich treasure trove of Yiddish and Jewish culture.”

Traversing Australia, Germany, Israel and America, Horin’s ‘Yiddishland’ – not a homeland but a heartland – introduces audiences to a global collective of artists who have been drawn to Yiddish as a source of inspiration and belonging, reigniting its use in music, theatre, opera and literature.