Watch This ‘Voice of Ukraine’ Contestant Bring the House Down With a Yiddish Song

Image by YouTube

By Maia Efrem March 23, 2016

From the first few chords of “Bei Mir Bist du Shein,” Tatyana Amirova had the judges of “The Voice of Ukraine” dancing in their chairs and clamoring to have her join their teams.

Amirova’s jazzy rendition of the Yiddish standard from the 1930’s earned her a standing ovation, but it was the extensive video package exploring the 22-year old Odessa native’s Jewish traditions and roots that got our attention.

Filmed at her synagogue and in her home, the video cuts from scenes of Amirova and members of her community praying to those of her at home with her grandmother. “I have a large, friendly and happy Jewish family,” she says in Russian. “I am extremely happy that I’m Jewish.”

Dressed modestly, Amirova talks of her respect and adherence to Jewish traditions and her desire to share her voice and culture with listeners. But it was not just Amirova’s Jewishness that features heavily in the video, we were also surprised by how much the judges responded to not only her choice of song, but her openness about her religion. “Do you speak Hebrew?” asked one of the judges in Hebrew. “Everything b’seder,” quipped another.

“Everyone picks a standard song when they come on,” a judge said, “but you picked a unique song.”

“I was raised with Jewish traditions,” Amirova answered, “and I am honored to revive Jewish culture which, unfortunately, not everyone remembers nowadays.”

Watch the and Amirova’s spirited performance below:

Maia Efrem is the former research editor and assistant to the editor and was also responsible for the Forward’s annual Salary Survey. Previously she served as the editor of Blognik Beat, a blog written by students who emigrated from or have ties to the Former Soviet Union. Maia is a graduate of Hunter College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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