The beautiful artwork displayed in our banner depicts a shtetl (village) scene, and was created by the late progressive labour artist Avrom Yanovsky for the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir's production of 'Oyfn Fidl' (On the Fiddle) in the early 1970's.

THE JOYS OF YIDDISH

Speak to me in Yiddish

 

The Velvl Katz Yiddish Reading Circle
What a joy it is to hear Yiddish read by native speakers who delight in mameloshn (mother tongue) and its literature! It's a pleasure you too can enjoy at the Velvl Katz Yiddish Reading Circle which meets Thursday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Winchevsky Centre.

You don't have to be able to read Yiddish to enjoy these afternoons. Good listeners are most welcome. Nor do you need a comprehensive understanding of the language. The readers are happy to translate unfamiliar words and, in many cases, English translations are available for the works being read. The Yiddish Reading Circle has enjoyed works by such classic Yiddish writers as Peretz, Leivick, Itzik Manger, I.J. Singer and Chava Rosenfarb, as well as articles from The Forward.

New members are always welcome.

 

"An Exceptional Person - A Remarkable Life
William (Velvl) Katz: 1897 - 2003"
by David Abramowitz

William (Velvl) Katz's, life spanned three centuries, yet he was a man ahead of his time.

A charter member of the Labour League Mutual Benefit Society (forerunner of the UJPO) and the Morris Winchevsky School, and a staunch Yiddishist, William subscribed to the progressive Yiddish press. Under Labour League and UJPO banners Katz marched in dozens of demonstrations for progressive causes. He proudly joined UJPO members in Toronto's victory parade marking the establishment of the State of Israel and subsequently made several trips to the new state, visiting the institutions which the UJPO supported.

In addition to his involvement in perpetuating a love of Yiddish in the Winchevsky Centre institutions, his participation in Toronto's Yiddish community knew no ideological bounds; he actively participated in several Jewish cultural and Yiddish reading groups, including the Borochov Centre, the Betel Centre, the Khai Dancers at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, and the current affairs discussion group at the Baycrest Terrace. He also encouraged Nathan Fishauf to establish a Yiddish reading circle at the Winchevsky Centre, which continues to thrive today.

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