Singing Up The Past

On November 9 at 7 PM, JxJ the film and music program at the Edlavitch DCJCC will host Singing Up The Past

The program is a three-part event in one evening with a short film screening, conversation, and live musical performance.

On the occasion of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, JxJ is proud to present Dr. Joseph Toltz (The University of Sydney), who will present his documentary “Singing up the Past: the songs of Guta Goldstein,” and discuss the significance of song in Holocaust history and memory. He will also perform material from his recently published and critically acclaimed book, “Out of the Depths: the first collection of Holocaust songs”.

Joseph Toltz will sing selected songs with accompaniment by award-winning Polish pianist Martin Labazevitch.

“When our yearning for food became unbearable, we sang” recalls Guta Goldstein, a 94-year-old Polish-Australian Holocaust survivor. Eight decades after she learned and sang them, Guta has kept a repertoire of songs from the Łódź ghetto alive, as she continues to perform them in private.

As a child in the ghetto, the songs gave Guta distraction, hope, and entertainment. In the camps, they became a way to focus, process trauma, to come to know others, and finally to retain a sense of humanity.

Through Guta’s songs, performed by her and by the Łódź Children’s Choir, Guta can “sing up” her past. Guta’s story is a unique testimony through song. Guta’s story is presented in a film about memory, survival, and the power of music.

You can read more about the event here: https://www.edcjcc.org/jxj/show/singing-up-the-past/