Kholera19: featuring Labzik – Tales of a Clever Pup

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yiddish creativity flourished, as artists, educators and cultural organisations transitioned to online platforms and discovered that Yiddishland did exist — even if via the internet.

With a nod to the creative efforts of local Yiddish institutions, this event will be a screening of short films –the main feature being Labzik: Tales of a Clever Pup (USA, 2021).

Adapted from a book of children’s stories by Yiddish author Chaver Paver, Labzik: Tales of a Clever Pup follows the (mis)adventures of a clever mutt named Labzik and the working-class Jewish family that adopts him.

Balancing playful humour with gritty realism, the stories find Labzik and the other residents of the Bronx up against social and political forces that are no less relevant today: unemployment, political protest, racism, even an airborne disease. This trilingual Yiddish-English-Yinglish short film is produced in cinematic “miniature theatre” style, employing lavishly illustrated paper puppets to evoke the ink illustrations of the 1935 original.

The film features narration adapted from Miriam Udel’s new English translation, and Yiddish dialogue from Paver’s original text. A cast of both student and professional voice actors brings the characters and stories to life, including award-winning Yiddish actor Shane Baker. The film also features original music by Klezmer great Michael Winograd and singing by Mikhl Yashinsky (recently in Melbourne) and Lorin Sklamberg of the Grammy award-winning band The Klezmatics, amongst others.

Join Yiddish Australia for this event which will include a short interview with director Yankl Krakovsky.

This presentation is being held in conjunction with ACJC, Kadimah, SKIF and The Bund.

Proceeds from this event will go towards subsidising students to attend Yiddish immersion events.