When Our Bubbas and Zeydas Were Young: The Schaechter Sisters on Stage

Made in association with an organization called Yugntruf (Youth for Yiddish), Josh Waletzky's film documents a recital of 18 Yiddish songs, ranging from lighthearted tunes to serious reflections on grief and loss, performed at Hebrew Union College's Jewish Institute of Religion in 2010 by Reyna and Temma Schaechter, young sisters trying to recapture the spirit of singers from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The pair appear before microphones on a bare stage, sometimes in ordinary clothes but other times dressed as boys or women in babushkas, depending on the story conveyed in the English-subtitled lyrics. The sisters are accompanied on piano by their father, Binyumen, who chose and arranged the selections and makes brief observations on some of the songs and their performance history (one, for example, was popularized by actress Molly Picon). Taped inserts show the siblings rehearsing or talking about their enthusiasm for the repertoire as well as other interests. Waletzky does a reasonably good job of creating smooth transitions, but the overall result remains decidedly homespun, and while the sisters are likable, their singing isn't appreciably better than what one would encounter at a local talent show. Optional. (F. Swietek)