London’s Yiddish Pop Songs: Telling Secrets of the Immigrant Experience

In the second lecture in the Zhargon Speaker Series, Vivi Lachs introduces songs performed on the London Yiddish stage at the turn of the twentieth century, which tell of the experiences of immigration from a grassroots perspective.

Using humour and satire, their poignant, funny, and sometimes surprising lyrics tell of a community in transition, battling with religious, emotional and ideological hurdles as women and men integrated into British life. This talk will situate the songs in London’s Yiddish theatre/music hall, and analyse a few in detail to consider how they engaged with political debates of the day, at the same time as entertaining a rather diverse audience.

Tickets are $10, proceeds go to support the speaker. (Ticket cost is included in Zhargon course fees for current students.)

Vivi Lachs is a historian of the Jewish East End, a research fellow at Queen Mary University and Yiddish performer. Her books include Whitechapel Noise: Jewish Immigrant Life in Yiddish Song and Verse and London Yiddishtown: East End Jewish Life in Yiddish Sketch and Story. She founded the Great Yiddish Parade, is the vice chair of the Yiddish Café Trust and leads tours of the Yiddish East End. She sings, records and composes with Klezmer Klub (Whitechapel, mayn vaytshepl) and Katsha’nes (Don’t Ask Silly Questions).

Image: The Pavilion Theatre on Whitechapel Road, the main venue for Yiddish theatre during the early 20th century.