A project dedicated to promoting Yiddish as a living, relevant, and inclusive element of art, culture, and identity, explored through participatory practices and presented by people who use the language today.
The project’s title, Lomir zajn do – meaning “Let’s be here” in Yiddish – refers to the song Mir Zajnen do (We Are Here). It highlights the idea of bringing Yiddish back into the contemporary cultural landscape of Kraków, one of the most important centers of Jewish life before World War II.
We aim to present Yiddish as a living, relevant, and inclusive language through direct encounters with contemporary Yiddish speakers, participatory activities, a free digital publication, and a short video.
Throughout the project, a series of thematic events will explore the following areas: visual arts and language as a vehicle for memory and cultural transgression (Jakub Skrzypczak and Zach Mojsze); Yiddish lettering and its visual forms (Zofia Janina Borysiewicz); music and songwriting (Maria Ka); and textual analysis through the practice of secular chevruta (Patrycja Dołowy).
The experts invited to participate in the project represent different generations, fields of activity, and perspectives. What connects them is, among other things, their ongoing engagement with Yiddish through creative practices, activism, artistic work, education, and community initiatives.
The intellectual and educational foundation of our activities is provided by Kultur-Lige, a network of Jewish artists that we co-organize together with the Zapomniane Foundation and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Funding
The activity is co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the “Linguistic Diversity” grant programme of the Institute of Linguistic Diversity of the Republic of Poland.
