A free outdoor Yiddish sing-along concert is taking over Central Park next week

This Monday, Central Park will once again host “New York Sings Yiddish,” a massive free outdoor Yiddish sing-along concert presented by Capital One City Park Foundation SummerStage and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.

The celebration will take over Rumsey Playfield (enter at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street) from 7pm to 10pm, with doors opening at 6pm.

Tony-nominated actress and director Eleanor Reissa will emcee the event, which will feature performances by Zalmen Mlotek, the Frank London Klezmer Brass All Stars, Joanne Borts, Daniel Kahn, Daniel Mendelson and many more.

According to the New York Jewish Week, the free outdoor summertime concert traces its roots back to 1968. Its current sing-along format began just two years ago when the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene added a giant screen projecting lyrics, along with a QR code that lets attendees follow along on their phones.

That inaugural sing-along was particularly memorable: the late celebrity sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer made a surprise appearance, and the crowd serenaded her with “Happy Birthday” in three languages—English, Hebrew and Yiddish.

This year promises to be just as spirited. Whether you’re fluent in Yiddish or simply Yiddish-curious, you’re invited to lend your voice to a night of joyful, intergenerational celebration through song. We all know we need one.