Stars of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF in Yiddish to Release Music Video on Passover

On April 15th, the first night of Passover, Maya Jacobson, Jodi Snyder, and Raquel Nobile will be releasing their concept video for Abi Gezunt, a beloved Yiddish song from the 1940s. The three young performers met doing the award-winning Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, Fidler Afn Dakh, directed by Joel Grey at the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene.

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Maya Jacobson, daughter of Cantor Deborah Jacobson, and granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Michael Frenkel: "When I heard the Barry Sister's version of Abi Gezunt, I called Jodi and Raquel and said we have to cover this song. It perfectly describes how we're feeling two years into a global pandemic. The chorus translates to 'As long as you are healthy, you can be happy.' To me, that meant being grateful for living and taking each day as it comes with joy."

Jodi Snyder, who you can hear on the Fidler Afn Dakh album as Fruma Sarah, "Yiddish is something I knew about growing up because my grandparents spoke some phrases around the house, but it wasn't until working at the Folksbiene that I truly developed an appreciation for the language, heritage, and richness of it."

Raquel Nobile, the National Theater Conference's Emerging Professional of 2018, "I was so amazed that over 81 people felt moved enough to crowd-fund our concept video for the song. That made it possible for us to create a 3-part arrangement, professional recording, and then, of course, the video itself."

The video was conceptualized by director, Jenny Lester, producer, writer and star of What She Said. Lester wanted to capture the vaudevillian essence of the 40s and pay homage to some of the greats, while incorporating the sexiness of groups like the Barry Sisters and Andrew Sisters. The filming features the juxtaposition of the swanky Mosaic Bar in Astoria, Queens, and the quintessentially historic Central Park.