Coming to the Anne Frank Center, USA, 44 Park Street (located two blocks form Ground Zero in lower Manhattan) in September is a very important show entitled Remnants: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe 1981-2004 featuring the photographs of Yale Strom. Yale is a polyman, who is an author, educator, photographer, composer, musician, playwright and filmmaker and is the world’s leading ethnographer-artist of Klezmer and Roma music and history. His Hot Pastrami Klezmer band is internationally known. This photographic exhibit will show 36 images Yale took in small communities in Eastern Europe. Many of the photographs will portray elderly citizens, the last generation to experience life before the Holocaust and, whose memories of parents and grandparents born 150 ears ago remained very strong. When Yale Strom visited Eastern Europe thirty years ago he found Jews living in small towns and villages harkening back to the pre-War shetetl made famous by Chagall’s paintings, Sholem Aleichem stories and Klezmer melodies. He found living side-by-side remnants of old world Orthodox or Hasidic culture; those still clinging to their communist beliefs; and others whose only wish was for a better future for their children. These 36 pictures were taken in Poland, Hungary Romania Slovakia and the Ukraine and include photos of Klezmer musicians, reflecting the music that has helped to revive and help us remember and recapture Jewish Culture that was almost extinguished. The exhibit will also display original sheet music showing pieces of “lost” music detailing melodies taught to him by musicians he met on this ethnographic tour. Special programming is also scheduled including two Hot Pastrami concerts and a Lecture where Yale will speak about the relationship between Roma and Jewish musicians.
