The Ashkenaz Foundation is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. Its purpose is to increase awareness of

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

and

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

culture through the arts. The foundation organizes and sponsors a biennial festival, and has a year-round programme which showcases the work of contemporary artists from Canada and around the world, with a particular focus on music.

History

The Ashkenaz Foundation was founded in 1995, with a mandate to promote

Klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

and east European

cultural arts, as well as other manifestations of global

music and culture, including Israeli, Sephardic, Ladino, and Mizrahi Jewish traditions. That year the foundation organized the first Ashkenaz Festival. Ashkenaz has sponsored fusion and cross-cultural exchange with artists from outside

cultural traditions through commissioned works and special projects. Ashkenaz promotes local and emerging talent, and takes part in education and community outreach. Most Ashkenaz presentations are presented free to the public.

Ashkenaz Festival

The Ashkenaz Festival The Festival takes place biennially at Toronto's

Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became a no ...

and satellite locations throughout Toronto. Each edition showcases approximately 50-75 acts from Canada and around the world, and includes music, theatre, dance, film, literature, craft, and visual arts. The Festival draws an audience of about 60,000 people and has grown to be the largest Jewish cultural event in Canada. The first Ashkenaz Festival took place in July 1995, and was focused on Klezmer and Yiddish "Ashkenaz fest takes Jewish culture global"
''Toronto Star'', Jasmine Kabatay, Sept. 5, 2016 There were Festival editions in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The 7th Ashkenaz Festival in August 2008 celebrated the organization's "

Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

" year (13th year). The August 2014 iteration celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Foundation, and the 10th biennial Festival. Over time the festival has expanded to include many genres of

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. The 2020 Ashkenaz Festival would have marked the organization's 25th year, but was cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2016 the festival's artistic director is Eric Stein."Klezmer artist launches CD with new sound"
''Canadian Jewish News'', Ruth Schweitzer, 24 November 2016

References

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External links

Ashkenaz website
Jewish organizations Jews and Judaism in Toronto Klezmer Mizrahi Jewish culture Non-profit organizations based in Toronto Sephardi Jewish culture in Canada Yiddish culture in Toronto Organizations established in 1995 1995 establishments in Ontario