BanJew: The Secret History of the Banjo in Yiddish Music

The mass emigration of Eastern European Jews to the United States in the late 19th Century occurred when the banjo was a dominant force in popular music. While Jews did not become involved in the older more established worlds of minstrel banjo or the later classic finger-style banjo, the newly emerging worlds of ragtime and jazz offered an unfettered ground floor for this new collaboration. Join us to hear how the banjo became a mainstream Jewish presence in the Yiddish theater and traditional klezmer bands. Learn how our presenter, the producer and performer Henry Sapoznik, reintroduced the banjo in the mid-1970s klezmer “revival” and its subsequent worldwide renaissance.

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Lasting Impressions: DOROT’s Legacy Project is generously supported by a grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation