noentkeyt, meaning “nearness” in Yiddish, is a way of being in relationship to each other in Yiddishland, to language, to our ancestors, to the archive, to the material and text, and mostly to each other. It is a fluid and contemporary intimacy and closeness to Yiddish language and culture. The idea of noentkeyt, developed by Yael Horowitz, responds to the prevalence of doikeyt and the post-vernacular and presents another pathway and alternate framework for articulating our shared relationship to Yiddish. At KlezCummington this year, Yael will debut "noentkeyt: A Manifesto Performance Installation," with its theme integrated and woven throughout the festival.