Infusing Life into Yiddish Treasures
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Infusing Life into Yiddish Treasures

Musical trio, Hebrew National Salvage, delighted a full house Saturday night, Jan. 26, at Marietta’s Strand Theatre.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe January 30, 2019, 2:57 pm Edit

After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.

  • Photo by Bernice Isaac/Congregation Etz Chaim // The musical trio lit up the stage: Hankus Netsky, Miryem-Khaye Siegel and Abigale Reisman.
    Photo by Bernice Isaac/Congregation Etz Chaim // The musical trio lit up the stage: Hankus Netsky, Miryem-Khaye Siegel and Abigale Reisman.
  • Photos by Bernice Isaac/Congregation Etz Chaim // Hankus Netsky told stories between sets of the meaning behind the music.
    Photos by Bernice Isaac/Congregation Etz Chaim // Hankus Netsky told stories between sets of the meaning behind the music.
  • Miryem-Khaye Siegel alternated between whimsical and emotional personalities when recapturing the music of old.
    Miryem-Khaye Siegel alternated between whimsical and emotional personalities when recapturing the music of old.
  • Photo by Philip Goldstein // More than 400 people filled the Strand Theatre Saturday night for “Lost and Found Musical Treasures.”
    Photo by Philip Goldstein // More than 400 people filled the Strand Theatre Saturday night for “Lost and Found Musical Treasures.”
  • Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe // Dr. Ramie Tritt, whose family foundation sponsored the Scholar-in-Residence concert, chatted with Rabbi Daniel Dorsch at the dessert reception.
    Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe // Dr. Ramie Tritt, whose family foundation sponsored the Scholar-in-Residence concert, chatted with Rabbi Daniel Dorsch at the dessert reception.
  • Cobb County residents Philip and Elise Goldstein were particularly moved by a Yiddish concert in the Marietta Square, where Philip’s family owned a general store.
    Cobb County residents Philip and Elise Goldstein were particularly moved by a Yiddish concert in the Marietta Square, where Philip’s family owned a general store.

“Pray for me … I have such a sack of trouble. Hungry, sick, naked, and barefoot, not a penny in my pocket.” – Moishe Oysher

“Lost and Found Jewish Musical Treasures” delighted a full house Saturday night, Jan. 26, at Marietta’s Strand Theatre. Pianist Hankus Netsky performed with vocalist Miryem-Khaye Siegel and violist Abigale Reisman – a former Atlantan – featuring an evening of Hassidic melodies and gems of the Yiddish theatre. The trio are part of Hebrew National Salvage, which rescues and restores musical treasures.

On Saturday, the performance included klezmer dance tunes and Yiddish folk songs laced with Netsky’s storytelling, which set up the songs’ narratives and old-world scenarios.

The evening was a continuum of Congregation Etz Chaim’s Scholar-in-Residence weekend sponsored by the Joyce and Ramie Tritt Family Foundation.

Miryem-Khaye Siegel alternated between whimsical and emotional personalities when recapturing the music of old.

The tunes, performed mostly in Yiddish with written translations for the audience, covered such themes as a broken heart, evaluating an auditioning cantor, the difference between a Litvak and Galitsyaner, longing for homes like Odessa and Kishinev, a sentimental Shabbos table, and the Catskills.

Netsky, who has collaborated with luminaries such as Itzhak Perlman, Joel Gray, Theodore Bikel, and Robin Williams, is dedicated to keeping this potentially neglected and discarded music alive for future generations.

Siegel and Reisman alternated some numbers and joined together in others. Especially crowd-pleasing was when they formed a duet, calling themselves “The Marietta Sisters.”

Reisman, a graduate of The Davis Academy and the Manhattan School of Music, made her alma maters proud as she handled her “fiddle” with agility and emotion. Giving voice to the words behind the music, Siegel brought an expansive range and added some jolly jigs with lilts and sways along with her singing.

Photo by Philip Goldstein // More than 400 people filled the Strand Theatre Saturday night for “Lost and Found Musical Treasures.”

Audience members were touched in personal ways by the music.

“My grandfather was a Polish Yiddish entertainer, so this is especially poignant to me,” said Judy Fineman, program co-chair along with husband Stan.

Etz Chaim Senior Rabbi Daniel Dorsch recalled being a student of the language. “I have a special fondness for this type of music. At the Yeshiva, I was surrounded by peers and immersed in classes, which engendered a love of Yiddish. Note that my major was ‘Modern Jewish Studies and Jewish Literature.’”

Dr. Ramie Tritt, whose foundation sponsored the weekend, said it was the 13th year of the Scholar-in-Residence program. “It is truly thrilling for Joyce and I to give back to the community and its culture in this way.”

Marietta native Philip Goldstein grew up near the theater. “My grandfather’s store was right next door to the Strand on the Square for many years. He would be quite pleased and surprised that we were doing Havdalah in this very location.”

More than one person commented that Leo Frank’s lynching was 104 years ago just a “stone’s throw” down Roswell Street from the theater.

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