Fun in Cummington! Take part in family-friendly activities throughout the season
KlezCummington is a vibrant intergenerational gathering. We welcome people of all backgrounds and experiences. We envision a festival that nourishes our communal learning, deepens our connection to one another, and creates the space for flourishing artistic and cultural innovation grounded in Yiddishkayt.
KlezCummington is hosted on Nipmuc and Pocomtuc land in so-called Cummington, Massachusetts on a beloved 14-acres stewarded by Northampton-based Judaica artist, sculptor, builder, baker, and KlezCummington co-founder Emmett Leader has spent the past 15 years transforming the property— restoring the 100-year-old barn and bringing it to life as a community gathering space and functional work of art. Emmett's deep connection to the land as a holder of Jewish community and ritual embodies and inspires the spirit and vision that gave birth to KlezCummington.
The world of klezmer music (Eastern European Jewish music) is deep and rich. KlezCummington offers a context for musicians and non-musicians of all-ages (including children & families!) to attend klezmer workshops, jam and sing together, and enjoy concerts and dancing!
Integral to the festival is language! We are in awe of the way language can reveal and also transform the world. We are excited to invite Yiddish playwrights, Yiddish singers, Yiddish speakers, Yiddish learners, and Yiddish dabblers to the festival. We hold space for innovation and the creation of new cultural and artistic works in Yiddish and other Jewish diasporic languages.
Nourishment is at the heart of the work we do. At KlezCummington we nourish ourselves and build community over shared meals, with fresh warm Jewish breads baked in a wood-fired oven and home-cooked dishes using local vegetables from neighboring Sawyer Farm. Alongside large quantities of borsht, slaw, and other diasporic delicacies, we invite community members to bring vegetarian potluck dishes to share, and many hands pitch in throughout the festival to braid challahs, shape bagels, chop vegetables, and churn homemade maple ice cream! Reach out to head cook Ariel Shapiro if you’d like to get involved in food preparations before the festival!
The location site and barn of KlezCummington itself is a work of Jewish art, stewarded and envisioned by local artist Emmett Leader. KlezCummington showcases Emmett’s artistic installations (see below) that are so deeply connected to their context that they nearly appear to be integrated into the fabric of the barn itself.
