Yiddishkayt

Greater Los Angeles European-American Folklife/Other 2012

Yiddishkayt is the premier Yiddish cultural and educational center in Los Angeles dedicated to the study of Yiddish language, culture, and history and to connecting generations old and new with their cultural heritage.  With groundbreaking language, education, and cultural programs, inventive partnerships, large-scale events, and innovative online communications, Yiddishkayt promotes and celebrates Yiddish as a profound pathway to Jewish identity.  Since its inception in 1995, Yiddishkayt has embraced the multicultural richness of  Los Angeles to stregthen consciousness and foster the growth of all things Yiddish.  By focusing on the traditions as well as the creativity of Yiddish culture, Yiddishkayt charts a new way for Yiddish to evolve and adapt in the twenty-first century.

As a grantee of ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program in 2012, Yiddishkayt received support for its third Kugl Kukh-Off, on Sunday June 3, 2012.  This community-based celebration of a Yiddish delicacy includes a kugl contest judged by noted culinary experts along with kugl tasting, live Yiddish music, oral history stations for recording Yiddish food memories and culinary traditions, children’s workshops, a lecture, and cooking demonstrations.   Kugl, a casserole or pudding made of noodles, potatoes or matzo, has been at the center of Yiddish cuisine for over 800 years as a mainstay of festive meals particularly on the Jewish Sabbath or holidays.   The event aims to nurture and expand the community to reconnect with their Yiddish heritage through traditional kugl-making.

The following video shows scenes from Yiddishkayt’s 2008 Kugl Kukh-Off: