A civil engineer and amateur musician, Moshe Gildenman had never even held a weapon until the Nazis invaded his hometown in Ukraine and killed 2,200 Jews, including his wife and daughter. Vowing revenge, he escaped to the forest with his son and formed one of the most successful partisan units in the guerilla war to liberate Ukraine.

In his latest book, Partisan Song: A Holocaust Story of Resilience, Resistance, and Revenge, UNC Charlotte musicologist and National Jewish Book Award-winning author James A. Grymes chronicles the electrifying story of how this peaceful community member became a fierce resistance leader, and how music fueled his courage.

Join us for an evening of storytelling and music, as Grymes and the University Chorale of UNC Charlotte present readings from Partisan Song interspersed with performances of songs that inspired heroism during the Holocaust – music from the Yiddish songbook that Gildenman carried through the war, reconstructions of songs he composed in the ghetto and forest, and beloved anthems such as "Zog nit keyn mol."

The program will be followed by a book-signing. Books will be available for purchase.

This program is presented by the UNC Charlotte Department of Music and Temple Beth El and is supported in part by the Crane Family Charitable Foundation and the Blumenthal Foundation.

This program is FREE, but registration is required.