We Need a Little Yiddish, Right This Very Minute

www.clydefitchreport.com: The massacre perpetrated by a white American anti-Semite terrorist at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue last month will remain seared in hearts and minds for years to come. The same with the horrific murder of nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, in June 2015, perpetrated by another white American terrorist. There are various theories as to why such deep, sick hatred exists in this country. But what many people agree upon, sadly, is that these reprehensible attacks on those considered by some to be “other” will continue, given the divisive nationalist rhetoric our Commander-in-Chief regularly spews. What solutions do we have to get the ideals of the world’s greatest democracy — a nation founded by immigrants and for all immigrants — back on track? Can the arts play a meaningful role in bringing different cultures, races and religions together toward a more peaceful future? The CEO of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF), Chris Massimine, believes the arts are the way to find commonality.