A klezmer band performed for schoolchildren in Plymouth as part of an effort to reconnect the city with its Jewish heritage through culture and education, with the project organized by Plymouth Jewish Community CIC and tied to the UK's first Jewish Culture Month.
Who Gets the Culture, Who Sets the Terms
At Woodfield Primary, the Klezmer Village Band played for pupils from Woodfield Primary, St Peter's and Mount Street schools, giving many children their first encounter with klezmer music and Jewish culture. The visit was presented as education and heritage work, but it also showed how cultural access is still something arranged from above, delivered through institutions and organized projects rather than built by the communities themselves.
The performance at The Drum at Theatre Royal Plymouth was a sell-out, and the educational workshops were part of the wider month-long program. The project was organized by Plymouth Jewish Community CIC, which said it wanted to bring Jewish culture back into the community. Louise Clements, director of Plymouth Jewish Community CIC, said, "We wanted to bring Jewish culture back into the community. This is the first time in many years that something like this has happened here."
Heritage, Identity, and the Managed Public
The visit was described as part of a wider effort to reconnect Plymouth with its Jewish heritage through culture and education. That effort followed comments by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for "every part of society" to take responsibility against rising antisemitism. The language of shared responsibility sits neatly alongside the reality that the project itself was organized through a community CIC and delivered through schools and a theatre, with the public invited to receive culture in carefully managed settings.
Musician Ilana Cravitz said klezmer comes from Eastern Europe, from communities that lived there when it was part of the Russian Empire, and that a lot of the music comes from places now known as Ukraine. She said, "Music is a wordless language," and added, "People respond from inside - they stop thinking, they feel. And we really saw that today." She also said, "We talked about people coming together... sometimes because they've felt excluded or persecuted, and finding connection through music."
The word klezmer comes from two Yiddish terms meaning vessel of song, a reference to both the instruments and the musicians who bring the music to life. Alongside the performance, the workshops opened discussions about identity, belonging and shared experience. Those discussions were part of the educational framing around the event, shaping how children encountered the music and the history attached to it.
What the Children Heard, What the System Delivered
One pupil said, "I thought it was lovely. I loved the dancing and the singing. When the band played, it was amazing." Another added, "It had a really nice sound. It made me feel happy and relaxed." One boy said, "No musicians have ever played live music to me before."
Louise Clements said, "We wanted to bring Jewish culture back into the community. This is the first time in many years that something like this has happened here." She said she had a personal connection to the music, saying, "It takes me back to family celebrations and weddings," and added, "For others, it shows a different side of Jewish culture - something that sparks curiosity." She said the project aimed to show "young people what Jewish life and music is like."
One of the musicians, John McNaughton, said the reaction had been overwhelmingly positive. He said, "Children have that innocence - they're not afraid to enjoy something new."
The event placed culture, identity and heritage inside school and theatre institutions, with the public message shaped by organizers, educators and a prime minister's call for responsibility. The children were the audience, the community group was the organizer, and the official language of inclusion remained safely within the bounds of managed outreach.