TOP: Yale Strom and his wife, Elizabeth,
at Belle Isle in 2017. ABOVE: Yale Strom
at Blueish concert. TOP RIGHT: Yale
Strom listening to his quartet.
60 | AUGUST 17 • 2023
in 2017. A notable documentary was
A Great Day on Eldridge Street, (2013)
about a gathering in October 2007 of
100 international klezmer musicians
that Strom organized for a photo shoot
outside the Lower East Side’s historic
synagogue in NYC.
His poignant photographs depict-
ing people he met, experiences he
encountered and places he has visited
have won awards. His photos are part
of many collections including the
Skirball Cultural Center in LA, the
Jewish Museum of NYC, the Frankfort
Jewish Museum in Germany and
Jewish Museum in Budapest. “I have
also sold about 300 photos to collec-
tors over the years,” he says.
One of Strom’s most memorable
events was in 2015, when the Obamas
invited him to the White House for a
Chanukah party. “I got the invitation
through email and at first I thought
it was fake,” he says. “But it was real.
The White House’s Jewish liaison
heard of me and that’s how I got the
invite. It was amazing. We met the
Obamas, and they were so nice to
us. There was candle lighting, a lot
of food and we met people from the
cabinet. My wife was excited she got
to meet Elena Kagan. Surprisingly and
coincidentally, I wound up seeing one
of my cousin’s there — a rabbi.”
As a Jewish scholar, Strom found
one perk is being able to lead Jewish
heritage tours around the globe. He has
previously led groups to Spain/Portugal,
Morocco/Gibraltar and Argentina. This
month he is speaking and performing in
Stockholm, Sweden.
It’s hard to say what Strom does in
his spare time, as his jam-packed sched-
ule doesn’t allow him much free time.
Strom has been married to his wife,
Elizabeth, for 26 years, and they have a
daughter, Tallulah, who is a guitarist and
a social worker. “Our daughter is very
talented,
” he proudly reports.
As Strom rattles off all his accom-
plishments, awards and accolades, he
stresses he is not bragging, just listing
what he’s done. But the truth is, Strom
really does have a lot to brag about.
ARTS&LIFE
PROFILE
continued from page 59
Upcoming
Strom Events
These are some of Yale
Strom’s upcoming events,
projects and appearances:
Sept. 8: His newest doc-
umentary film Recordially
Yours, Lou Curtiss will screen
in Encinitas, CA.
Oct. 10-21: Strom will be
leading a Jewish Heritage
tour (Ayelet.com) to Croatia
and the Adriatic coast. He will
give lectures and concerts in
Zagreb, Rijeka and Split.
Oct. 24: Strom will premiere
his new recording “The Wolf
and The Lamb: Live at the
Shakh” with Hot Pstromi
at UCSD Park & Market.
Musicians are coming in from
Prague and New York City.
Oct. 26: Strom will perform
with this same ensemble at
Valley Beth Shalom in Los
Angeles.
Oct. 27: They will perform
with this same ensemble
at University Synagogue in
Irvine, California.
Nov. 8: Hot Pstromi with spe-
cial guests Fred Benedetti
(guitar) and Amos Hoffman
will perform at Congregation
Bnai Jeshurun in New York
City.
Nov. 12: Yale Strom,
Elizabeth Schwartz and Amos
Hoffman will perform at the
Washington, D.C., JCC.
COURTESY OF YALE STROM