Co-presented by Koffler Arts and Miles Nadal JCC

Join us for a compelling panel discussion organized leading up to the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company's upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish.

The conversation begins with the timeless writings of Sholem Aleichem, focusing on his beloved character Tevye the Dairyman and other tales from the shtetls of the Pale of Settlement. These tales served as rich source material for the renowned musical production Fiddler on the Roof - to be performed in Yiddish.

A distinguished historian and expert in Modern Jewish Studies will explore prominent themes in the writings of Sholem Aleichem. A Rabbi offers insights into the evolution of Jewish traditions, examining how these stories reflect both the preservation of heritage and adaptation to new realities. And a contemporary playwright whose works parallel some of Aleichem’s themes brings us into the present, offering a theatrical perspective on Jewish cultural identity, resilience, and change. This conversation will deepen understanding of Jewish history, literature, and the enduring spirit of the shtetl community.

Moderator:

Josh Heuman, Head of Artistic Engagement, Koffler Arts

Panelists:

-Dr. Kalman Weiser, Silber Family Chair of Modern Jewish Studies and Associate Professor in the Departments of Humanities and History, York University

-Jordi Mand, playwright

-Rabbi Samuel Kaye, Associate Rabbi, Holy Blossom Temple

Dr. Kalman Weiser is the Silber Family Professor of Modern Jewish Studies and Director of the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University. Books he has written or co-edited include Czernowitz at 100. The First Yiddish Language Conference in Historical Perspective (2010), Jewish People, Yiddish Nation. Noah Prylucki and the Folkists in Poland (2011), the revised and expanded edition of Solomon Birnbaum’s Yiddish. a Survey and a Grammar (2015), and Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism (2021). His newest book, Yiddish Scholarship Comes to the America. The YIVO Institute at 100 (fall, 2026) tells the story of how refugee intellectuals and Holocaust survivors transformed the Yiddish Scientific Institute in pre-WWII Vilna into today’s YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York.

Jordi Mand is an award-winning writer for theatre, TV, and film. Her plays include Between the Sheets, Caught, This Will Be Excellent, Brontë: The World Without, In Seven Days, and a new stage adaptation of Little Women. Mand has collaborated with many of Canada’s most respected and innovative theatre companies, including the Stratford Festival, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Grand Theatre, Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Nightwood Theatre, and more. She is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Bell Media Prime Time TV Program and the National Theatre School of Canada's Acting program.

Rabbi Samuel Kaye is the Associate Rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He was ordained from the Hebrew Union College in 2018. He served as the Assistant Rabbi at The Temple in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Canada. He is an alumnus of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and Allegheny College. Rabbi Kaye has studied at the iCenter, the Elaine Breslow Institute, and is a fellow with Amplify Israel. He has served on the board of ARZA Canada and sits on the Executive of the Toronto Board of Rabbis.