Keeping it in the family, Songs my grandfathers wrote

Michael Alexander Willens presents his

grandfathers' musical legacy:

`Treasures of the Yiddish Theater'

Imagine having two grandfathers who were songwriters and were as successful in their day as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim are today!

Amazingly, I am fortunate to be the grandson of both Alexander Olshanetsky and Herman Yablokoff, two of the most successful songwriters who wrote the music for many Yiddish theater musicals that flourished in New York in the first part of the 20th century.

Two of their most famous songs, Papirossen and Mein Shtetele Belz, have been translated into 26 languages and are still performed around the world. Songs like Hopkele, Shvayg mayn Harz, Hosti Gisti Bisti and Ikh hob dich zuviel Lib as well many others are considered to be classics in the Yiddish Song Book repertoire.

They are regularly performed internationally by singers and klezmer bands and have also been used in many films and television programs.

However, they are rarely performed in the version for which they were conceived, namely with a Broadway-style show band which Alexander Olshanetsky directed at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills for several summers.

Here is a photo with my grandfather Alexander Olshanetsky and his band.

Our program features all of the songs listed above as well as many others that I am sure you are familiar with. Join us for an evening down memory lane featuring musical treasures written by my grandfathers for the yiddish theater!

Events

A Swingin’ Chanukka — December 2026 Tour

Shvayg Mayn Harts Orchestra

Sunday, 6 December 2026 — Hannover
16:00 · Opernplatz · Chanukka celebration with Chabad Hannover
Opernplatz, 30159 Hannover, Germany
Link: to be added

Monday, 7 December 2026 — Brussels
19:30 · CCLJ
Rue de l’Hôtel des Monnaies 52, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
https://cclj.be/concert-de-hanoucca/

Tuesday, 8 December 2026 — Frankfurt am Main
17:00 · Venue and address to be confirmed
Link: to be added

Wednesday, 9 December 2026 — Göttingen
19:00 · Evangelisch-reformierte Gemeinde
Untere Karspüle 11, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
https://jg-goettingen.de/

Thursday, 10 December 2026 — Hannover
19:00 · Bürgerhaus Misburg
Seckbruchstraße 20, 30629 Hannover, Germany
Link: to be added

Friday, 11 December 2026 — Oranienburg
Time to be confirmed · Orangerie im Schlosspark
Kanalstraße 26a, 16515 Oranienburg, Germany
https://www.oranienburg-erleben.de/event/a-swingin-chanukkah/

Saturday, 12 December 2026 — Berlin
Time to be confirmed · Rykestraße Synagogue
Rykestraße 53, 10405 Berlin, Germany
Link: to be added

Sunday, 13 December 2026 — Leipzig
19:00 · Schaubühne Lindenfels
Karl-Heine-Straße 50, 04229 Leipzig, Germany
https://www.schaubuehne.com/spielplan/shvayg-mayn-harz-a-swingin-chanukka

Monday, 14 December 2026 — Gelsenkirchen
17:00 · Jewish Community of Gelsenkirchen
Georgstraße 2, 45879 Gelsenkirchen, Germany
https://jggelsenkirchen.de/shvayg-mayn-harts/

Tuesday, 15 December 2026 — Hanau
19:00 · Kulturzentrum AJOKI
Johanneskirchplatz 1, 63450 Hanau, Germany
https://ajoki.de/events/shvayg-mayn-harz/

Wednesday, 16 December 2026 — Wiesbaden
19:30 · Kulturzentrum Schlachthof
Murnaustraße 1, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany
https://schlachthof-wiesbaden.de/events/shvayg-mayn-harts-orchestra-105096

All times are local.

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“Keeping it in the Family”