Ruth Rubin Legacy: An Online Sound Archive of Yiddish Folksongs

New York, NY – YIVO’s newest online archive highlights the field recordings of over 1,900 Yiddish lider (songs) made by renowned vocalist and scholar, Ruth Rubin.

The Archive includes songs performed by some of the most extraordinary traditional singers of Yiddish folk songs of the 20th century, including Rubin herself and the likes of Shmerke Kaczerginski, Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Nathan Ausubel, Wolf Younin, Dora Wasserman, Teddi Schwartz, Felix Fibich, Michael Fox, David Ellin, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Mina Bern.

The 78rpm acetate discs, reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes recorded by Rubin between 1946 and the 1970s have been painstakingly re-assembled by YIVO and are made accessible for the very first time in an easy to use online platform.

The online sound archive has been developed and curated by YIVO’s Sound Archivist and Grammy award winning artist Lorin Sklamberg and Associate Sound Archivist Eléonore Biezunski.

According to Lorin, “It is extremely vital that the pioneering life’s work of the great folklorist and singer Ruth Rubin be brought into the 21st century via this digital domain.”

“Ruth would have been thrilled to know that her unequaled collection is at last being made accessible to the world,” said Lorin.

The Ruth Rubin archive opens up the vast treasure house of Yiddish folk song not in the language of revivalists, but in the plain and powerful voice of the people of the day when Yiddish was a natural tongue of expression, sentiment, memory, and belonging.

“Ruth Rubin dedicated her life to the Yiddish folksong as a collector, scholar, and performer. She has left a treasure of sound recordings that will inspire future generations to cherish this glorious tradition,” – Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett

To officially launch its new online archive the YIVO Institute will host an evening of celebration at 7pm on December 23, 2018 at the Center for Jewish History. The evening will consist of a number of performances by renowned musicians including: Michael Alpert (Scotland/USA), Itzik Gottesman (NY), Daniel Kahn (Berlin/USA), Sasha Lurje (Riga/Berlin), Ethel Raim (NY), Lorin Sklamberg (NY) and many more and will be a celebration of the life work and contribution of Rubin.

When:
Sunday, December 23, 2018, 7:00pm

Where:
YIVO at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street • New York, NY 10011

Tickets:
$15 for General Admission, $10 for Members and Students
Reservations Available at: yivo.org/Ruth-Rubin-Concert

Co-sponsored by The Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Yiddish New York

The archive can be visited at https://exhibitions.yivo.org/exhibits/show/ruth-rubin-sound-archive/home.

For any media inquiries please contact:

Alex Weiser
Director of Public Programs
(212) 294-6152

About YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story