National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene to Stream 2024 Gala Featuring Steven Skybell & More

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's 2024 gala concert, “A Celebration of Jewish Pride and Creativity,” featuring a company of rising young stars, will be available for free streaming on the company’s website. The concert will be available for four days only, from 12:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 10 to 11:59 PM EST on Friday, December 13.
 
Held on October 20, 2024 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, NYTF’s gala concert featured performances that celebrated young performers who represent the future of Yiddishkayt, or Jewish cultural identity and way of life. The concert featured several performers who had been featured in NYTF’s Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, NY Drama Critics Circle, and Off Broadway Alliance award-winning production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/Fidler Afn Dakh and the Drama Desk award-winning production of Amid Falling Walls/Tsvishn Falndike Vent. The line-up included host Steven Skybell (Broadway: Cabaret (Tony Award nomination); Tevye in NYTF’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/Fidler Afn Dakh (Lortel Award) and Amid Falling Walls/Tsvishn Falndike Vent), with 13-year-old violin prodigy Yosef Kogan, 15-year-old actress, singer and songwriter margot weintraub (Off-Broadway: The Bedwetter, Between the Lines), Senior Cantor Magda Fishman, actress Stephanie Lynn Mason (NYTF’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/Fidler Afn Dakh, Amerike, the Golden Land), actor Drew Seigla (Pertshik in NYTF’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/Fidler Afn Dakh), actor Eli Mayer (NYTF’s award-winning Amid Falling Walls/Tsvishn Falndike Vent), The Mameles (a vocal trio featuring Raquel Fernandez, Abby Goldfarb and Jodi Snyder, who met while performing in NYTF’s critically acclaimed and beloved Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/Fidler Afn Dakh), and a special appearance from young actor Yair Kedar (Drag The Musical). Additional information about the streaming production is available at www.nytf.org/celebratingthefuture.
 

NYTF’s gala concert honored longtime supporters Minna and Mark Seitelman and Peter and Ellen Weintraub. Minna Seitelman has been a member of NYTF’s Board of Directors for 10 years and was recently named Co-Chair, along with Sandra F. Cahn. Mark Seitelman is a personal injury attorney, a noted leader in the field, and the principal of Mark E. Seitelman Law Offices where Minna is the office administrator. The couple served as co-producers of Fidler Afn Dakh (Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish), when it originally opened at the museum in 2018, and continued their support when the production moved uptown.
 
Peter Weintraub’s professional life began as a pulpit Rabbi. When he transitioned to business, he continued to serve the Jewish community as an interim Rabbi to various chavurot and congregations. Ellen Weintraub began her professional career as a teacher.  While continuing to serve as a “rebbetzin” with her countless Shabbat and Holiday celebrations, she has found her passion in Interior Design and contracting. Both are fervent supporters of NYTF’s mission.

Now approaching its 110th season, the award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the US and the world’s oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre company. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, NYTF is dedicated to creating a living legacy through the arts, connecting generations, and bridging communities.
 
NYTF aims to bring history to life by reviving and restoring lost and forgotten work, commissioning new work, and adapting pre-existing work for the 21st Century. Serving a diverse audience comprised of performing arts patrons, cultural enthusiasts, Yiddish-language aficionados, and the general public, the company presents plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops, and community-building activities in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles accompanying performances. NYTF provides access to a century-old cultural legacy and inspires the imaginations of the next generation to contribute to this valuable body of work.