Monday, December 14, 2015

Return of the Golden Bride to Yiddish Theater

A classic Yiddish operetta has been just brought back to life. The Golden Bride is a Yiddish romantic comedy that premiered in New York back in the roaring 20's. Known in Yiddish as Di Goldene Kale, the opera was popular with the Jewish diaspora through the 1940's, but lost in the time following World War II. It has been brought back to life through the labor of music archeologisst and the support of the National Yiddish Theater FolksbieneIt tells the story of Goldele, a poor girl from a Russian shtetl who inherits a fortune from her estranged father. She embarks on a mission in the new world to find both her long-lost mother and her husband-to-be.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Yazidis find refuge in Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska is home to the largest Yazidi community in the United States.

The Yazidis are ethnically a Kurdish group but differ from other Kurds in that they practice Yazidism. Their religion in an ancient faith that integrates elements of Islam with Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. Their distinct faith has made them the target of persecution by Muslim neighbors throughout history, and the attacks are surfacing again as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gains control of Northwestern Iraq, the location of the Yazidi homeland.

Many Yazidis have found refuge in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is now home to the largest Yazidi community in the United States. As the prospects of returning to their homeland now look grim, the community seeks to form a burial ground here in the US.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Hungarians celebrate a milestone in Connecticut

Northeast Connecticut's Hungarian-American Social Club of Ashford celebrated 80 years at a recent party. As one would expect the food was traditional Hungarian and the music was provided by New York based Hungarian language band "Horvath".



Thursday, September 17, 2015

The Syrian Population

With the Syrian refugee crisis unfolding in Europe we take a look at the Syrian population here in the United States:




Syrian Population


Syrians, as a Percent of Total Population

United States
148,214
1
Rhode Island
0.23%
1
California
20,135
2
New Jersey
0.13%
2
Pennsylvania
14,398
3
Pennsylvania
0.11%
3
New York
13,816
4
Massachusetts
0.10%
4
New Jersey
11,095
5
New York
0.07%
5
Florida
10,640
6
Michigan
0.07%
6
Texas
8,048
7
Arizona
0.06%
7
Illinois
6,872
8
New Hampshire
0.06%
8
Michigan
6,426
9
District of Columbia
0.06%
9
Ohio
6,392
10
Florida
0.06%
10
Massachusetts
6,366
11
Ohio
0.06%
11
Arizona
4,131
12
California
0.05%
12
Indiana
3,430
13
Illinois
0.05%
13
Virginia
3,128
14
Indiana
0.05%
14
Washington
3,031
15
Oregon
0.05%
15
Maryland
2,520
16
Connecticut
0.05%
16
Rhode Island
2,473

United States
0.05%
17
Oregon
1,983
17
Washington
0.04%
18
North Carolina
1,895
18
Maryland
0.04%
19
Connecticut
1,771
19
Nevada
0.04%
20
Georgia
1,398
20
Virginia
0.04%
21
Wisconsin
1,390
21
Maine
0.04%
22
Colorado
1,383
22
Oklahoma
0.03%
23
Minnesota
1,263
23
Nebraska
0.03%
24
Oklahoma
1,256
24
Texas
0.03%
25
Nevada
1,166
25
Colorado
0.03%
26
Kentucky
1,087
26
West Virginia
0.03%
27
South Carolina
905
27
Kentucky
0.03%
28
Missouri
886
28
Wisconsin
0.02%
29
Louisiana
858
29
Utah
0.02%
30
New Hampshire
824
30
Minnesota
0.02%
31
Tennessee
727
31
Arkansas
0.02%
32
Utah
669
32
North Carolina
0.02%
33
Arkansas
611
33
South Carolina
0.02%
34
Nebraska
588
34
New Mexico
0.02%
35
Maine
503
35
Louisiana
0.02%
36
West Virginia
470
36
Missouri
0.01%
37
New Mexico
393
37
Georgia
0.01%
38
Kansas
377
38
Kansas
0.01%
39
District of Columbia
360
39
Tennessee
0.01%
40
Alabama
322
40
Alaska
0.01%
41
Iowa
172
41
Alabama
0.01%
42
Idaho
98
42
Idaho
0.01%
43
Alaska
73
43
Iowa
0.01%
44
Delaware
49
44
Delaware
0.01%
45
Hawaii
-
45
Hawaii
0.00%
46
Mississippi
-
46
Mississippi
0.00%
47
Montana
-
47
Montana
0.00%
48
North Dakota
-
48
North Dakota
0.00%
49
South Dakota
-
49
South Dakota
0.00%
50
Vermont
-
50
Vermont
0.00%
51
Wyoming
-
51
Wyoming
0.00%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey
B04006 People Reporting Ancestry, 1 year estimates
C04006 People Reporting Ancestry, 1 year estimates