Yiddish Summer Weimar
International Institute and Festival for Yiddish Music, Language and Culture — Anniversary Edition «Yiddish Wo:men»
About Yiddish Summer Weimar
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A Yiddish City by the Park an der Ilm
For more than two weeks in July and August, Weimar transforms into a Yiddish city. Musicians, singers, dancers, language students, and scholars come from Poland, Ukraine, Israel, the USA, France, Germany, Russia, and many other countries to Thuringia to learn, perform, and preserve the Yiddish language, its music (Klezmer and much more), its songs, its dances, and its history. Founded in 1999 by the American Klezmer musician and educator Alan Bern, Yiddish Summer Weimar is today the world's most important institute for living Yiddish culture.
Motto 2026 — «Yiddish Wo:men»
The 2026 edition, under the motto «Yiddish Wo:men — Another Story of Modernity», is dedicated to women in the Yiddish cultural sphere. Three new projects will premiere, curated by guest curator Dr. Diana Matut: «Togbukh — Rose Shoshana Kahan, A Yiddish Story of Shanghai», a one-woman musical theatre about actress Rose Shoshana Kahan, who performed Yiddish theatre in Shanghai in the 1940s; «Her:Kol — Yiddish Women's Song Cultures», a concert series featuring contemporary settings of poetry by Yiddish women poets; and «Yiddish Wo:men and the Story of the Book», an online exhibition on the literary activities of Jewish women.
Workshops Before and After the Festival Week
Yiddish Summer is not only a festival but also one of Europe's largest workshop institutes. In 2026, language courses (learning Yiddish, from beginner to advanced) run from July 13th to 26th; instrumental and vocal workshops in two eight-day blocks (July 11–18 and July 21–28); dance and dance music workshops from August 11th to 15th; the «Yidish-Hoyz» immersion program (a residential camp conducted exclusively in Yiddish) from July 31st to August 10th. The instructors are leading representatives of living Yiddish culture worldwide.
Festival Week August 1st–8th — Concerts Every Evening
The public highlight is the festival week from August 1st to 8th: evening concerts (often starting at 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM), daytime mini-workshops for everyone, special performances of the three new 2026 projects, a late-night cabaret, and lecture-recitals. Venues include various locations in Weimar's Old Town: the mon ami (Goetheplatz), Eckermannhalle, E-Werk, Jakobskirche, and the Park an der Ilm in good weather. In 2025, the festival attracted around 12,000 visitors to the city of classical music.
Weimar in Summer — Classical Meets Yiddish
Experiencing Yiddish Summer as a concertgoer allows you to combine the festival with Weimar's classical culture: Goethe House, Schiller House, Anna Amalia Library, Bauhaus Museum, Park an der Ilm. This connection — Yiddish culture in the city of classical music, which was home to the Buchenwald concentration camp between 1937 and 1945 — is not a coincidental choice. Yiddish Summer is also an act of cultural remembrance and the restoration of Jewish presence in the state of Thuringia.
Yiddish Summer Weimar — edition 2026
«Yiddish Wo:men» — Motto 2026
Yiddish Summer Weimar 2026, under the motto «Yiddish Wo:men — Another Story of Modernity», highlights women in the Yiddish cultural sphere: their songs, their poetry, their stage presence, their research. Three new projects will premiere — «Togbukh» (musical theatre about Rose Shoshana Kahan), «Her:Kol» (concert series with settings of poems by Yiddish women poets), and an online exhibition on the literary activities of Jewish women. Curated by Dr. Diana Matut, a leading researcher of Yiddish women's literature.
Festival Week and Workshops
The festival week (August 1st–8th) offers concerts every evening, alongside daytime mini-workshops, lecture-recitals, and a late-night cabaret. Workshops take place before and after: language (July 13–26), instrumental music and vocals (July 11–28 in two blocks), dance and dance music (August 11–15), Yidish-Hoyz immersion program (July 31–August 10).
Programme Yiddish Summer Weimar 2026
Program Highlights 2026 — «Yiddish Wo:men»
- July 11–18 — Workshop Block 1: Instrumental music (Klezmer clarinet, violin, accordion), vocal courses, beginner and advanced levels
- July 13–26 — Intensive Language Courses: Learn Yiddish — beginner, intermediate, advanced; reading and conversation courses
- July 21–28 — Workshop Block 2: specialized advanced studies, ensemble playing
- July 31 – August 10 — Yidish-Hoyz: residential immersion program — a living community speaking exclusively Yiddish
- August 1–8 — Festival Week: concerts every evening (usually starting at 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM) at mon ami, Eckermannhalle, E-Werk, Jakobskirche, or Park an der Ilm; daytime mini-workshops for all, lecture-recitals, discussions; late-night cabaret
- 2026 Premieres: «Togbukh — Rose Shoshana Kahan, a Yiddish Story of Shanghai» (one-woman musical theatre); «Her:Kol — Yiddish Women's Song Cultures» (concert series featuring settings of Yiddish women poets by contemporary composers)
- August 11–15 — Dance and Dance Music: workshops in Yiddish dance traditions, traditional musical accompaniment
Detailed daily program and artist lists available at yiddishsummer.eu.
Highlights Yiddish Summer Weimar 2026
- Festival Week August 1–8 with evening concerts
- Motto 2026: «Yiddish Wo:men — Another Story of Modernity»
- Three premieres: Togbukh, Her:Kol, and an online exhibition
- Language, instrumental, vocal, and dance workshops
- Yidish-Hoyz immersion program
- International instructors and artists from Europe, USA, Israel
Prices Yiddish Summer Weimar 2026
Single concert tickets for the festival week range from €15 to €30. Discounts available for students and festival pass holders. Festival Pass offers better value per concert for all festival week concerts. Workshops: separate registration via the festival website; fees vary by block, level, and duration (typically €250–€1,200 per workshop block). Accommodation can be arranged through the festival.
Practical information — Yiddish Summer Weimar
Dates 2026
Festival Week: August 1–8, 2026 (concerts every evening). Workshops: July 13–26 (language courses), July 11–28 (instrumental/vocal in two blocks), August 11–15 (dance), July 31–August 10 (Yidish-Hoyz Immersion).
Venues
Various venues in Weimar city center: mon ami (Goetheplatz), Eckermannhalle, E-Werk, Jakobskirche, Park an der Ilm, and others. 99423 Weimar.
Getting There
By train: Weimar ICE station (Frankfurt–Erfurt–Leipzig–Berlin), 10–20 minutes walk or city bus to all venues.
Tickets
Single concert tickets for the festival week range from €15 to €30. Festival Pass offers better value for all concerts. Workshops: separate registration via yiddishsummer.eu, fees vary by block and level.
Languages
Concerts: mostly Yiddish (with explanations in English or German). Workshops: English, German, or Yiddish depending on the course. Festival communication: primarily English.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Yiddish Summer Weimar al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place Yiddish Summer Weimar
Weimarer Altstadt (verschiedene Spielstätten)
Verschiedene Spielstätten in der Innenstadt, 99423 Weimar