In his new book on the cultural history of Yiddish New York, Sapoznik goes beyond the familiar narrative of how Jewish performers and entrepreneurs adopted and adapted Black vernacular music — ragtime, jazz, swing, R&B, and blues — as artists, promoters, and producers. Instead, he reveals the lesser-known story of the reverse: African Americans who performed Yiddish and cantorial music for Jewish communities in theaters, on record, on radio, and in concert between the World Wars.

The talk will introduce audiences to several of these remarkable figures, including Rabbi David Kolscritta, Abraham Ben Benjamin Franklin, Thomas LaRue Jones, and Gladys Mae Sellers — the first and only known Black woman cantor of this period. It will feature slides of period Yiddish newspaper previews, ads, and reviews, as well as the only known recording of Thomas LaRue Jones, a 1923 Yiddish and Hebrew 78 rpm disc.

Admission is free, but registration is encouraged.