Mishpachah Festival

Come learn the Yiddish dances traditionally associated with klezmer instrumental music. Freylekhs, sher, zhok, khosidl - these are some of the famous klezmer tune-types that are also Yiddish dances. Joyous and expressive, communal and individualistic, Yiddish dances give us an extraordinary window into all of Yiddish culture. But Yiddish dance is by no means a museum piece–creative, improvisational and just plain fun, it’s a great way to express yourself! No previous experience or specific dance knowledge needed. All ages are welcome! 

Join The Gefilteria's Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern for a dynamic discussion of Eastern European Jewish foodways, past and present. The Gefilte Manifesto co-authors will share exciting discoveries about seasonal Jewish eating, holiday cooking and culinary wisdom which will transform everything you thought about Ashkenazi gastronomy. We'll dive into goose, gefilte fish, cabbage, kugel and more from the shtetl to the Lower East Side to today's hottest restaurants.

Did you know that if your Spanish or Portuguese surname translates to a fruit tree, that means you're Jewish? Were there Jewish Pirates in the Caribbean? Did my family in Poland arrive there in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue? Speaking of, wasn't Columbus secretly a Jew? In his talk, Michael will provide a broad stroke introduction to Sephardic history and genealogy, focusing on not only the tools and archives but also explain how these tools also provide the basis for busting these popular myths. 

Curious about your Jewish roots? Join us for Jewish Genealogy 101, a beginner-friendly presentation that will guide you through the essentials of tracing your Jewish ancestry. Learn how to navigate key records, explore online databases, and understand the unique challenges and rewards of Jewish family research. Whether you're just getting started or looking to refresh your skills, this session is the perfect place to begin your journey. 

The Forward, once a Yiddish daily published on the Lower East Side, has evolved into an award winning online independent Jewish media organization. For over a century, among its published items were serialized Yiddish novellas about various mishpokhe-dramas, photos of family gatherings and celebrations—and thousands more items about mishpokhes. Some of this original Yiddish journalism enabled family reunification, seeking advice, humorous perspectives on shvigers, shvogers and other family characters, and even collective kvetching about family tsores. Join the Forward’s archivist Chana Pollack to uncover some of these mishpokhe related archival wonders. You never know, maybe your mishpokhe ended up on our pages!

Learn how to research your ancestors in a private session with one of our Kalikow Center Genealogy experts! After registering for the festival, you will be sent a link to register for a 20-minute session with a genealogist. 

Archives are full of microhistories: stories of individual lives within a broader historical context. These stories provide a window into not only the specificities of a life, but also into major historical events. In this panel, representatives from the Leo Baeck Institute and the American Jewish Historical Society will discuss the process of turning these stories into a podcast (Exile and The Wreckage, respectively) and the role that archives and genealogy play in future storytelling.

This session will explore the traditional craft of making Torah scrolls and how it responded and changed during waves of Ashkenazi immigration to the United States.

Father and son Kenny Gomberg and Alex Gomberg of Brooklyn Seltzer Boys will be in conversation with Jessica Shaw to share their family history and provide insight into the family business. Founded by Moe Gomberg in 1953, Brooklyn Seltzer Boys delivers old fashioned seltzer filled by the last remaining seltzer shop in New York City – Gomberg Seltzer Works, Inc. 

Learn how to uncover your family's stories in Germany's rich archives. Vital records form the backbone of family research but there is much more information available about your ancestors and the communities they lived in. Sources covered will include records relating to schools, marriage permissions, business permits, military service, real estate and probate records. This presentation will show researchers how they can begin to uncover these records for their own families using examples from towns in Southwest Germany. 

New York City is a maritime city, and a city of immigrants. It has been a haven for marginalized communities and a place that challenges deeply held cultural practices. Join us as we talk about how to preserve and explore these interconnected legacies as they relate to the Jewish community. From embarking on the transatlantic voyage to the Ellis Island inspection and beyond, Stephen Lean (Director, American Family Immigration History Center) and Esme Levitch (Public Programs Assistant, South Street Seaport Museum) will provide guidance about available resources and research methods. 

For generations, Jewish women managed to put food on the table without the aid of cookbooks. On the Lower East Side, however, Jewish homemakers encountered both new cooking opportunities and challenges. Help arrived in 1901 with The Manual of Cooking and Baking by pioneering immigrant Hinde Amchanitzki. Jane Ziegelman explores this revolutionary document and its place in the Jewish-American kitchen.

Join Kolya Borodulin, master teacher and Director of Yiddish Programming at the Workers Circle in New York for instant Yiddish. Learn 50 words in 50 minutes in this participatory workshop for the entire family. 

It’s one of the most persistent myths in American family history: that names were changed by overwhelmed and bigoted officials at Ellis Island. But is there any truth to this story? Join genealogist and historian Caitlin Hollander for a lively and insightful talk that traces the real reasons behind name changes in immigrant families, and what these choices reveal about identity, adaptation, and belonging in a new world. 

Drawing from archival research and historical context, Hollander unpacks how and why names evolved across generations- not at the hands of xenophobic government clerks, but through the choices of immigrants themselves. 

Join a dynamic conversation with young Sephardic adults exploring what it means to embrace their Greek and Turkish heritage today. Through personal stories, cultural reflections, and community insights, this panel will dive into the evolving identity of Sephardic Jews, the challenges of preserving traditions, the Ladino language, and the opportunities for meaningful connection in a modern world.

Moderator: Ethan Marcus, Executive Director, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America

Theo Cantor, Community Engagement Fellow, Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue & Museum

Abi Calderon, Community Member

Tara Silberg, Community Member

After more than 100 years, Breaking Home Ties is back on the big screen! Long thought lost, the world’s only surviving film print of this independently-made feature was rescued and restored by The National Center for Jewish Film. 

In this entertaining drama full of charm, romance and plot twists, the idyllic life of the Bergmann family is broken when son David flees pre-revolutionary Russia for America. In New York he becomes a successful lawyer and woos smart, independent Rose. When the Bergmann parents leave St. Petersburg and emigrate to New York, immigrant life takes its toll. Will David marry Rose? Will the Bergmanns be reunited? Released for general audiences in 1922, Breaking Home Ties was produced by Jewish filmmakers with the express purpose of countering escalating antisemitism in the US stoked by the anti-Jewish campaigns of the Ku Klux Klan and Henry Ford. Featuring sympathetic Jewish lead characters, the film is a rare example from early cinema that explicitly depicts Jewish life and rituals. 

The Mishpachah Festival audience will be one of the very first to hear an exciting new soundtrack created for the film by musicians drawn from some of today’s legendary jazz, Americana, R&B and indie rock bands. A collaboration begun during the pandemic and produced by Reboot Studios, the score was composed, performed and recorded by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn), and Scott Amendola (Charlie Hunter/Amendola Duo), with additional music from Nels Cline (Wilco), Yuka Honda, Gretchen Gonzales, and Joey Mazzola. Produced by David Katznelson.