LimmudFest New Orleans 2016

Between 1941 and 1945, approximately 140,000 Jews passed through the gates of Terezín, including some of Eastern Europe’s most prominent Jewish musicians. Under their leadership, life in the ghetto began to erupt with musical activity. First, inmates met in basements to sing Czech folk songs, and eventually, they created a cultural life full of choirs, cabaret, orchestras, operas, and even a jazz band called the Ghetto Swingers. Together we will explore the impact that music had on the Jews of Terezín and the ways that music served as a mechanism for survival through satire, comfort, connection, and defiance. This session will include study of music and text, in addition to viewing an excerpt from the documentary, Defiant Requiem.