Since word of the festival has started to go round, he said: “We’ve already got 100 people interested in coming. Even people abroad have written asking for more details. I’m very heartened and encouraged by the number who have volunteered to help run it. Some have offered money to help.”
Classes at beginners, intermediate and advanced stages are planned as well as cultural workshops and performances. “I’ve got three of the finest Yiddish teachers in London to run the course,” he said. “We are now putting together a klezmer worship for eight to 18-year-olds.”
Although not a native Yiddish speaker himself, he heard his parents speak it from time to time at home and among friends. Now 78, he is at the “beginner’s stage” but added: “It’s getting better.”
For Martin, Yiddish represents not just a language but an entrée into a whole culture. While “it evokes memories of a lost world”, it remains “a living culture – I don’t want people to dismiss it as old-fashioned.”
In fact, he says: “I’m amazed by the interest in Yiddish among the culturally curious. There is a lot of potential to revive interest.”
Indeed, HGSS isn’t the only place running a Yidish programme this summer. Later in the month, the Jewish Music Institute (JMI) is holding a Yiddish Culture Weekend between August 28 and 31, which will include a day of language classes and workshops on August 30. There will also be talks, screenings and klezmer concerts.
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Martin Kaye[Missing Credit]The popularity of klezmer is one indication of its attractions, says Martin. “I have a nephew who is trained in violin, who loves playing klezmer,” he said.
Yiddish, he believes, is “much nicer” than spoken Hebrew. “It’s a beautifully soft language and very easy to express yourself in.”
As an example of its expressiveness, he cites a euphemistic phrase for “premarital sex”, which translates into English as “eating before praying”.
To sign up for the HGSS Yiddish course, click here
For the course being run by JMI, go to jmi.org.uk or click here