(AMHERST, Mass.) – Seth Rogovoy will debut a new multimedia program called “The Times They Were a-Changin’: Jewish Protest Singers of the 1960s,” in a free livestream on Thursday, July 15, at 7pm (Eastern Time), presented by the Yiddish Book Center as part of its annual YIDSTOCK: The Festival of New Yiddish Music and its ongoing series of virtual programs on the center’s 2021 focus on “Yiddish and Social Justice.”

While they may have shed the Yiddish language, Jewish singers and songwriters perpetuated the tradition of songs of social justice in the countercultural ferment of the 1960s. Musicians ranging from Bob Dylan to Phil Ochs to Janis Ian to Country Joe and the Fish wrote and sang songs that became anthems of the civil rights, antiwar, and women’s movements, among other expressions of political protest.

In this livestreaming multimedia talk, YIDSTOCK artistic director Seth Rogovoy—the author of a book about Bob Dylan—will explore how non-Jewish artists like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez served as transitional figures in reviving Yiddish songs of social justice that influenced a new generation of songwriters who continued the tradition of their forebears — people like Phil Ochs, Si Kahn, Bob Dylan, and some other surprising figures.

Registration is free and required in order to access the link to the livestream. Visit this page to register for the talk.