Jane Enkin loves to wander through the whole mansion of folklore, and especially to explore the nooks and crannies of her own Jewish tradition. She enjoys singing narrative songs and traditional ballads. She has told stories at the Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg Festivals of Storytelling, on CBC radio, and in classrooms, libraries, seniors’ centres, cafes and concert halls. Her background as an actor, elementary school teacher, and prayer-leader informs her work. Jane teaches workshops on ways to use imagery to open up folktales and Bible texts in storytelling and spontaneous poetry. She has shared her research into women’s spirituality, traditional women’s folk religion, and Yiddish songs.
Jane presents programs for children, adults and seniors.
She specializes in Hasidic wisdom stories, telling tales of the great spiritual leaders, their miracles and wonders and their intense power of blessing. She tells folktales from Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Kurdish and Mizrachi Jewish cultures. She weaves together Jewish songs and stories in her programs.
She presents Holocaust memorial programs, with songs in Yiddish and English, some heart-wrenching and others inspiring, along with stories.
Jane tells folktales and fairytales from around the world.
Her Voice Returns, an online storytelling series, featured Jane telling stories of holy women, an African folktale, and traditional Canadian ballads.
Jane leads workshops on storytelling, encouraging tellers to “dream out loud,” using imagery to experience the stories they tell.