The New Yiddish Choir – Article by Maxine Toff for The Sussex Jewish News, December 2007.

In the summer when I was asked if I could publicise the new choir to the Jewish Women Friends group I thought I would just go along and see what they would be doing. I had no intention of joining, I didn’t speak Yiddish, I was very shy about singing in public and I really didn’t have the time.

About 16 men and women gathered at Ralli Hall for the first meeting and we met a very young. vivacious women who explained what we were going to do. Polina Shepherd is Russian and has been singing nearly all her life in Russian, Yiddish, English and other languages.

We were soon singing a Niggun, a Yiddish song without words, slowly, phrase by phrase. Entranced by Polina’s beautiful voice we struggled to master this new, to most of us, mode of singing. Polina patiently guided us with repeatedly singing the phrases and guiding us up, down, slow, fast with her hand signals and her dazzling encouraging smile.

We had a good range of voices from deep beautiful basses and tenors, contraltos and sweet sopranos. Each week we got a little better and learnt songs with words and miraculously even began to remember them and some were brave enough to tackle harmonies. Needless to say I did stay and more people came and joined us and in October we had our first public concert.

We were invited to sing to the luncheon club at Ralli Hall, surprisingly we were not as nervous as I thought we might be, it was just like going to a family party and singing to beloved grandmas and grandpas. They were so pleased to see us and enthusiastically clapped even when we were less than perfect, of course it helped that Polina also sang some beautiful and funny solos.

Apart from a few minor interruptions, during which we sang on valiantly; mobile phones ringing from handbags (ours!) visitors ringing the front door loudly and for a long time; a hearing aid that decided to join in with a high pitched whistle in the key of A for about three songs, we were enthusiastically applauded. To our amazement they asked us back again and we are looking forward to it. What performers could ask for more.

Maxine Toff