Library to present ‘Salute to Molly Picon,’ Yiddish lit, Borscht Belt tummler

As part of its “Between Two Worlds -—Exploring Jewish Culture and Religion Through Yiddish Literature” series, the West Caldwell Public Library will offer “Salute to Molly Picon” — the First Lady of the Yiddish stage in the 1920s and ’30s — on Thursday, May 28, 2-3 p.m.

Prof. Diane Cypkin, an expert on Yiddish theater, will present the program — part cabaret, part lecture — with Lena Panfilova on piano. Cypkin will trace the highlights of Picon’s (1898-1992) career from the Yiddish stage, to her roles in English-language films, through the songs she popularized. As a Yiddish speaker and entertainer who knew Molly, Cypkin combines outstanding performance and educational skills to tell the icon’s story.

Cypkin was the curator of a well-received exhibition on the star at Lincoln Center and served as Yiddish theater consultant at the Museum of the City of New York, where she curated “A Celebration: 100 years of Yiddish Theater.” She has appeared in Yiddish language musicals and in English-language productions as a singer and actor. She also directed productions of “The World of Sholom Aleichem” and “The Theatre of Peretz.” (For information, contact her at dianecypkin1@gmail.com.)

The next program in the “Between Two Worlds” series will be on Tuesday, May 12, 1-2 p.m., when “tummler” Robbie Amodeo will explore “The Heyday of the Catskills: The Borscht Belt.” Amodeo, a theater and film designer, will take participants on a trip to the time when the Borscht Belt was the premier vacation destination for Jewish families.

The series’ next book discussion, on Tuesday, May 26, at 2 p.m., will center on “The Zelmenyaners: A Family Saga” by Moyshe Kulbak (translated by Hillel Halkin), followed by “A Jewish Refugee in New York” by Kadya Molodowsky (translated by Anita Norich) on Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m.

“Between Two Worlds” is funded by a grant from the Public Libraries Program at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., a partnership with the American Library Association made possible by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Books are available to members of the BCCLS consortium; nonmembers can obtain copies at the WCPS. Registration is required for the programs; contact WCPL’s adult programming coordinator, Alexis Prussack-Martin, at 973-226-5441 or go to WCPLNJ.org.

— West Caldwell Public Library