Monroe Temple Beth-El host musical salute to Molly Picon this Sunday

MONROE — Monroe Temple Beth-El will host a musical tribute to Molly Picon featuring Dr. Diane Cypkin on Sunday April 29, at 5 p.m.

Although most people remember Picon as “Yente the Matchmaker” in the film adaptation of “Fiddler on the Roof,” Picon was far and foremost the first lady of the Yiddish Theater. Starting to perform from the age of 6, she entertained audiences through theater, radio, TV and film for over seven decades, often through countless songs she often wrote herself and incorporated into song and dance routines.

Besides popularizing Yiddish culture in the U.S., Picon appeared in numerous American films throughout her lifespan.

Cypkin is professor of media, communication and visual arts at Pace University in Pleasantville, where she has taught for 20 years. She has appeared in many Yiddish language musical productions. She will be accompanied by Lena Panfilova, a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory.

“The concert is a cornucopia, a beautiful bouquet of tangos, waltzes, and fox-trots,” Cypkin said in the press release announcing the performance, “that will have attendees humming for days.”

Admission to the concert is $18 for adults and free to children 18 and under. For further information or to RSVP, call 783-2626.

The concert will be dedicated to the memory of three beloved former Monroe Temple congregants, all lovers of the Yiddish theater: Elaine Peck, Harry Hirschberg and Dr. Stanley Sussman.