The sound of Yiddish song has been resonating around JW3's Finchley Road premises as a varied group of enthusiasts prepare for a concert taking place on Tuesday.
Singers of all ages and backgrounds - non-Jewish UCL students among them - are being put through their paces by 32-year-old professional Yiddish singer Rachel Weston, who leads the Zingt workshops, organised in conjunction with the Jewish Music Institute.
The north Londoner, who has performed in Canada and New York, said that "many people I speak to have a connection to Yiddish, but a lot of people in my parents' generation experienced it as something their parents used when they didn't want the kids to understand them.
"It was something removed from them, associated with the old world and with pain and suffering. So when people hear it, it sparks a deep, emotional connection."
During a niggun - a piece with sounds rather than lyrics - Ms Weston observed that "a melody without words is a pure soul".
Hesitant at first, and with eyes closed as instructed, her protégés joined her in song.
Taking part in her third Zingt session, Suzie Gold fondly recalled her grandmother singing Yiddish songs to her.
She pointed out that Yiddish, like Judaism, had strong associations with both humour and suffering.
"When you sing a Yiddish song, it can be quite comical, but also sad. We cry with one eye and laugh with the other.
"This group is great, because it puts the emotion and joy of the songs into a two-hour session."