The Theodore Bikel Legacy Project- Director Aimee Ginsburg Bikel

the theodore bikel legacy project

“We know what happens when good men and women remain silent in the face of injustice, bigotry and hatred” - Theodore Bikel

Theodore Meir Bikel

of blessed memory

Theo Meir Bikel (1924-2015) was a legendary Academy, Emmy, Tony and Grammy nominated Actor and folksinger; a civil rights, peace, and Jewish activist; and a devoted labor union leader. He was known for creating iconic roles on stage, film, and TV, such as Captain Von Trapp in the Broadway production of The Sound Of Music, and he played Tevye in Fiddler On the Roof more than any actor in history. With Pete Seeger, Theo founded the Newport Folk Festival, and recorded dozens of best selling albums in many languages. He was beloved for his leading role in keeping Yiddish culture alive, and for being an outspoken voice for Justice. He is most cherished for his undying devotion to Tikkun Olam, the daily work of making our world a better place. May his memory be for a blessing.

Theodore Bikel Legacy Project website

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The Theodore Bikel Legacy Project was founded by Aimee Ginsburg Bikel several months after the passing of her husband. The TBLP is dedicated to keeping the legacy of Theo Bikel alive while using his great body of work and his principles of Tikkun Olam in our quest to make the world a better place. The TBLP, with Aimee as its director, has produced major civic events, fundraising concerts, musical projects, a documentary film, and lectures for adults and for schoolchildren about the importance of raising our voice in the service of social justice. Aimee regularly screens Bikel's autobiographical film Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem for audiences across the US; together with her presentation about her late husband's legacy and the lessons for our times, the program makes for a profound, moving, and an inspiring event. To book a TBLP program, and/or a screening of the documentary film Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem, contact us.

Together We Stand

LA is a county of Love and Tolerence

In a major civic event in Los Angeles, and in honor of her late husband Theo Bikel, Aimee set out to orchestrate an event gathering CA elected officials and spiritual leaders from a cross-section of faiths at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries. Along with veterans and members of multiple police departments, they came together for a demonstration of unity and mutual respect in the wake of vandalism targeting places of worship and other sacred sites around the United States. The city and county's top elected officials, as well as senators and religious leaders, signed the TBLP's Declaration Of Unity, pledging to lead and rule in the spirit of tolerance, mutual support, and neighborly love. The event was produced by the TBLP, Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels and Hazzan Mike Stein.

view program and gallery

In collaboration with the TBLP, The Milken Archive of Jewish Music produced this 7 minute, archival documentary of Theodore Bikel, narrated by the TBLP director Aimee Ginsburg Bikel.