AmidFallingWalls-WEB-ELEMENTS---Yiddish
Amid Falling Walls Piano Keys
Title Font Amid Falling Walls

World Premiere

Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent): Unveiling Resilience and Hope During the Holocaust

Witnessing Resilience and Hope

Curated and Written by 
Avram Mlotek

Curated and Musical Arrangements by
Zalmen Mlotek

Directed by
Motl Didner

Witness the resilience and hope that prevailed amid unimaginable darkness. Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent) is a groundbreaking musical, portraying the indomitable Jewish spirit during the Holocaust through Yiddish song.

Curated Narratives: Songs of Survival

Curated and arranged by Zalmen Mlotek, with a compelling libretto by Avram Mlotek, and directed by Motl Didner, this Off-Broadway production delves into the songs created and performed in ghettos, cabarets, partisan encampments, concentration camps, and clandestine theaters.

A Tribute to Strength: Resonating Voices

The musical weaves in first-hand testimony of Holocaust survivors through their poetry and music, preserving their authentic voices. Despite the tragic loss of many of the young creators, their songs come alive in this unprecedented Off-Broadway theatrical production. It stands as a tribute, narrating the true story of resistance and hope through the words and melodies of those who endured those harrowing times.

A substantial portion of the material we witness today is due to the tireless efforts of Shmerke Kaczerginski, a poet, partisan, and a member of the famed YIVO Paper Brigade. He dedicated years of his life post-war to collect the songs of those who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust.

The phrase “Tsvishn Falndike Vent” is a fragment of the “Partisan Hymn,” a poignant song written in 1943 in the Vilna Ghetto. Its powerful lyrics quickly spread through the forests, ghettos, and camps, becoming a rallying cry for many.

Many of the songs featured in Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent) were carefully curated by Yosl Mlotek, who served as the education director at the Jewish cultural organization, The Workers Circle, and Chana Mlotek, an ethnomusicologist and folklorist who served as the longstanding music archivist for The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Don’t miss one of the most highly anticipated Off-Broadway productions in New York. Experience this extraordinary show at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, showcasing the strength and resilience of the human spirit during one of history’s darkest periods.

Media Sponsors

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Cast

The cast features Dani Apple (NYTF: The Sorceress), Jacob Ben-Shmuel (National Tour: The Book of Mormon), Yael Eden Chanukov (NYTF: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish; TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Abby Goldfarb (NYTF: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, Harmony), Eli Mayer (Regional: Ride the Cyclone, Footloose), Daniella Rabbani (NYTF: Gimpel Tam, Hershele Ostropolyer, The Golden Land), John Reed (Regional: Something Rotten!, Guys and Dolls), Mikhl Yashinsky (NYTF: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, The Sorceress in The Sorceress), and Rachel Zatcoff (Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera; NYTF: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish), with Steven Skybell (Tevye in NYTF’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish).

Creative Team

The creative team for Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent) features scenic design by Jessica Alexandra Cancino, costume design by Izzy Fields, lighting design by Yael Lubetzky, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, and projection design by Brad Peterson. Assistant Scenic Designer is Madeline Goddard. Choreography is by Tamar Rogoff. Orchestrations are by Frank London and Michael Winograd. Production Stage Manager is Jason Brouillard. Assistant Stage Manager is Robert Cott. Production Management is by TINC Productions
(Duncan Northern, Joshua Bernard, Madilyn Keller). Casting is by Jamibeth Margolis, CSA. Casting Assistant is Meredith Hoddeson.

Leadership support for Amid Falling Walls (Tsvishn Falndike Vent) is provided by The CBR Fund.

Major support is provided by Bruce Ratner, Linda Johnson, and family.

Funding is also provided by an Anonymous Family Foundation, The David Berg Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Now Playing!

Previews begin Nov 14 Opens Nov 20

Nov 14 - Dec 10, 2023

In The News

New York Jewish Travel Guide
By:NYJTG
November 20, 2023
Forward
By:Rukhl Schaechter
November 19, 2023
The Wall Street Journal
By:Avram Mlotek
November 16, 2023
Playbill
By:Natan Zamansky
November 15, 2023
Playbill
By:Molly Higgins, Logan Culwell-Block
November 9, 2023
The Jewish Standard
By:Joanne Palmer
October 26, 2023
TheatreMania
By:Zachary Stewart
September 27, 2023

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene stands in solidarity mit undzere brider un shvester in Eretz Yisroel.

We condemn this brutal attack against Jewish men, women and children as they woke up to celebrate Shabbas and the end of our holiest days.  Fifty years and one day after the Yom Kippur War and only 80 years after the Shoah we cannot understate the seriousness of this attack on Jews. 
An attack on one Jew is an attack on all.

Am Yisroel Chai

Sandra F. Cahn and Carol Levin,
NYTF Board co-Chairs

Mark Mlotek
NYTF President

Zalman Mlotek
NYTF Artistic Director 

Dominick Balletta
NYTF Executive Director