Pantakozak and other new Yiddish Songs for Kids by Jordan Wax

With Pantakozak, Jordan Wax has created a secular Yiddish children’s music album with the same level of care and attention as the best albums for adults, blending joy (nakhes), play, and a deep regard for cultural heritage. Wax draws on klezmer, Lăutari, and American musical traditions to build an artistically and musically rich collection of songs, rejecting the simplistic, sing-song approach that much of today’s children’s music takes, and creating an experience enjoyable for both kids and adults.

Pantakozak brings together intergenerational material from a variety of sources, including songs from oral histories with elders, pieces co-composed by preschoolers, and performance-oriented “kids literature” songs, all of which engage children in exploring language, resilience, and identity through the lens of a uniquely Yiddish playfulness.

This is an album for all families with young children, from Yiddishists to non-Jews, spanning themes from soccer, monsters, and polar bears to Jewish holidays and traditions. Co-produced by Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) and featuring prominent klezmer and lautari musicians, including Jake Shulman-Ment, Margot Leverett, and Marin Bunea & Taraf de Chișinău, Pantakozak invites listeners of all ages into a lively, playful, and deeply musical Yiddish world.