Through our programs, YIVO makes discoveries and treasures from our collections accessible and fosters the creation of contemporary Jewish culture. Explore our upcoming events below.

Be the first to know about upcoming programs and special events by signing up for our email list.
Watch recordings of previous events.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.


Show:       
Wednesday
Nov 6
7:30pm

In Search of Greener Fields: Rurality, Nostalgia, and Ideology in Yiddish-American Folksong

Zeke Levine considers themes of rurality in 20th century Yiddish-American folksong amongst Eastern European antecedents and the emerging American folk revival.

read more
Thursday
Nov 7
7:00pm

The Yiddish Supernatural on Screen

Rebecca Margolis, in conversation with Olga Gershenson, investigates how translated and subtitled Yiddish dialogue in film and television reimagines Jewish lore and tells new stories, where the supernatural looms over the narrative.

read more
Monday
Nov 11
1:00pm

Jewish Folk Medicine in Eastern Europe

Marek Tuszewicki examines folk healing practices performed by Eastern European Jews and their intersection with modern medical knowledge, in a discussion led by cultural critic and playwright Rokhl Kafrissen.

read more
Monday
Nov 18
1:00pm

Jewish Songs and Dances for Piano: Joel Engel's "A krants yidishe folks-nigunim" (1924)

Ryan MacEvoy McCullough and Sahun Sam Hong perform Joel Engel’s A krants yidishe folksnigunim (1924): a collection of Jewish folksongs, dances, Hasidic nigunim, and religious melodies in arrangements for piano and four hand piano.

read more
Wednesday
Nov 20
1:00pm

Representations of the Israeli Experience in Yiddish Prose, 1948–1967

Gali Drucker Bar-Am, in a conversation led by Barbara Mann, describes how Yiddish-Israeli writers played a vital role in shaping Israel’s cultural identity in its early years.

read more
Wednesday
Nov 20
7:30pm

'Tefilatah' (Her Prayer): The Female Experience Through the Eyes of Male Composers

Join the American Society for Jewish Music and YIVO for a concert offering a beautiful and culturally rich experience of how various male composers from different eras captured the female experience.

read more
Monday
Dec 2
1:00pm

Yiddish Language During the Holocaust

Through the lenses of cultural history, philology, and literary interpretation, Hannah Pollin-Galay investigates how the Holocaust radically altered the way many Eastern European Jews spoke Yiddish, in a discussion led by Samuel Kassow.

read more
Wednesday
Dec 4
7:00pm

Joseph Brodsky: Epitaph for a Centaur, Six Years Later

Join YIVO for a screening of a short film exploring the poet Joseph Brodsky’s Jewish identity, his legacy, and the political undertones of his writing.

read more
Thursday
Dec 5
7:00pm

Proof of Identity

This US premiere of the POLIN Museum’s new documentary by Mikołaj Grynberg offers viewers a glimpse into what it means to be a Polish Jew today. Through interviews with the generation that has had no direct contact with the Holocaust survivors in their families, Grynberg’s film reflects on how Holocaust memory has evolved in Poland.

read more
Tuesday
Dec 10
7:00pm

Burning Off the Page

Join YIVO for the New York premiere of a documentary about Yiddish poet and fiction writer Celia Dropkin, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Eli Gorn, professor Agnieszka Legutko, and poet Edward Hirsch.

read more
Thursday
Dec 19
7:00pm

A Very Jewish Christmas: Jewish Sitcom Characters Navigate December

Jennifer Caplan explores several examples of Jewish television characters attempting to survive the holiday season. A kosher Chinese food dinner will follow the presentation.

read more
Sunday
Dec 29
3:00pm

Hanukkah Concert 2024 - The Andy Statman Trio

This annual Hanukkah concert showcases songs and stories that charm and delight audiences in celebration of this joyous holiday. This year's concert will feature a performance by The Andy Statman Trio.

read more
Wednesday
Jan 22
1:00pm

Autocracies in the 21st Century

For the 2025 Winter Program Keynote, Anne Applebaum and Jonathan Brent discuss how autocracies have evolved in the 21st century.

read more
Monday
Mar 10
1:00pm

Yiddish Tangos and Klezmer Mambos

Join YIVO for a panel discussion with Ronald Robboy, Sonia Gollance, and Josh Kun, as they explore the remarkable influence of Latin American music and dance on the culture of Yiddish speaking communities in the United States.

read more
Thursday
May 1
7:00pm

Falafel, Freilach and Frijoles: From Mambo to Borscht

Enjoy a concert performed by Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra featuring Jewish and Yiddish classics in Afro Latin big band versions and Latin classics in Klezmer arrangements.

read more
Wednesday
Jun 11
1:00pm

New Trends in YIVO Scholarship

Join YIVO for a panel discussion sharing new research on various historic YIVO initiatives featuring presentations by William Pimlott, Kamil Kijek, and Nicolas Vallois, followed by a conversation led by Jessica Kirzane.

read more
Jun 22 7:00pm-9:30pm and Jun 23 10:00am-9:30pm

YIVO in America

Join us for a celebration of YIVO’s 100th anniversary with a conference focusing on how YIVO’s founding vision for Jewish social sciences has been realized in America since its headquarters shifted to New York City in 1940.

read more