In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies

03/10/2023

Call for Proposals: Creative, Pedagogical, and Research Projects Working with Yiddish Testimonies from the Fortunoff Video Archive | In geveb

Call for Proposals - please help us circulate this announcement!

The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University is a collection of over 4,300 testimonies of Holocaust survivors, witnesses, and liberators. Only a fraction of these testimonies have ever been used in teaching, research, or cultural productions like documentaries. That is doubly true for the dozens of Yiddish language testimonies, many of which may hardly have been viewed since they were first recorded or processed at the archive.

It is for this reason that In geveb is collaborating with the Fortunoff Archive to encourage and fund scholars to work with the collection. Our hope is to bring the archive “off the shelf” and into your computer screens.

The Fortunoff Video Archive, together with In geveb, will provide funding (between 500 and 2500 USD per submission) for a series of projects and publications that are based primarily on the Yiddish language materials in the Fortunoff Video Archive. These projects can be conceptualized in various ways, either as traditional research publications, educational materials that employ testimonies in classroom teaching, or cultural productions like podcasts or documentaries. In geveb invites those who produce materials for this project to submit them for consideration for a special issue that will gather these unique projects and publications in one location for further dissemination.

The deadline for the first wave of submissions is June 1, 2023. The evaluation committee will contact applicants within 4 months of submission.

Proposals should consist of:

Curriculum Vitae

Project description and budget (max. 1000 words)

Please submit your proposals to [email protected] with the subject heading “Fortunoff Submission”

The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University is collaborating with the In geveb to encourage and fund scholars to work with the coll

03/07/2023

Printable Bronx Bohemian Fashion Paper Dolls | In geveb

In case you missed it: Yiddish writers you can fit in your pocket!

Now you can play with your favorite Yiddish cultural figures!

03/06/2023

YIVO Finds More Archival Documents in Biden Home | In geveb

An important news update: YIVO Finds More Archival Documents in Biden Home: This latest discovery comes at a time when a staggering number of long-lost Yiddish documents have been showing up in the homes of prominent politicians.

This latest discovery comes at a time when a staggering number of long-lost Yiddish documents have been showing up in the homes of prominent politicians.

03/06/2023

Onbotn fun robotn: Futures for Algorithmic Yiddishkayt | In geveb

"If... humans cannot transcend their nature, no matter how modern they become, why let humans tell — and constrain — our stories? Lomir shraybn zikh aleyn. Let us write ourselves."

The Di robotn conference celebrated the legacy of bots in the Yiddish corpus, dreaming of futures for robots in the Yiddishist world.

The Di robotn conference celebrated the legacy of bots in the Yiddish corpus, dreaming of futures for robots in the Yiddishist world.

03/06/2023

Printable Bronx Bohemian Fashion Paper Dolls | In geveb

Purim Alert! Printable Bronx Bohemian Fashion Paper Dolls!

Maybe you’ve read their sto­ries, nov­els, poet­ry, and plays. Maybe you’ve combed through their let­ters, sift­ed through their scrap­books. But you’ve nev­er had the oppor­tu­ni­ty to bring Yiddish cultural figurs to life until now. All you’ll need is a print­er, a pair of scis­sors, some col­ored pen­cils, mark­ers, or crayons, and your own imag­i­na­tion, and the live­ly world of Yid­dish literati will be at your very fin­ger­tips, courtesy of the incomperable Alona Bach!

Now you can play with your favorite Yiddish cultural figures!

02/28/2023

Review of Sasha Senderovich's How the Soviet Jew Was Made | In geveb

Nobuto Sato reviews Sasha Senderovich's How the Soviet Jew Was Made (Harvard University Press): Senderovich challenges a fixed notion of the Soviet Jew and recounts a complex prehistory of the Soviet Jew in the immediate context of interwar Soviet culture.

In this recently-published study, Senderovich challenges this fixed notion of the Soviet Jew, and recounts a complex prehistory of the Soviet Jew in the immedia

02/21/2023

Briv funem arkhiv: A Long-Lost Letter from the Author’s Great-Grandfather to Moishe Nadir | In geveb

New in our briv funem arkhiv series, Sam Glauber-Zimra writes about a letter from his great-grandfather, Max Edlin to Moyshe Nadir, of whom he was a devoted reader, detailing the personal struggles and ideological misgivings of a disillusioned Communist:

"Even though we are not personally acquainted, in reality we are quite close friends because you hypnotized me during all those years that you, dear Nadir, wrote for the Morgn-frayhayt with your humorous-melancholy explanations of the world."

A letter from a devoted reader to Moyshe Nadir, detailing the personal struggles and ideological misgivings of a disillusioned Communist.

02/20/2023

Yiddish in Georgia | In geveb

Lasha Shakulashvili recently began teaching Yiddish at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU). TSU is one of the first academic institutions in the region to give an official academic recognition to the Yiddish language and include it in the Jewish Studies curriculum along with Hebrew. Sarah Biskowitz spoke with Lasha to learn more about him and his work.

Sarah Biskowitz speaks with Lasha Shakulashvili about Yiddish in the South Caucusus region and his new role teaching Yiddish at at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbili

02/15/2023

A Google Calendar for Yiddish Teachers / אַ גוגל־קאַלענדאַר פֿאַר לערערס פֿון ייִדיש | In geveb

Paris-based Yiddish instructor and student Karo Wegner created a Google calendar with dates that are important for Yiddish language and literature. In this bilingual essay, she shares thoughts about how the tool can be useful for teaching Yiddish.

A Yiddish instructor created a Google calendar with dates that are important for Yiddish language and literature and shares thoughts about how it can be useful

02/13/2023

Briv funem arkhiv: Nearly pulped, a photo hints at wartime history | In geveb

Maksim Goldenshteyn reflects on the “weighty legacy” of retellng the catastrophes and upheavals that befell the Jews of Tulchyn.

A reflection on the "weighty legacy" of retellng the catastrophes and upheavals that befell the Jews of Tulchyn.

02/09/2023

“Di froyen”: Two Students’ Experiences | In geveb

"I could not think of a better way to spend a weekend, I got to delve into a new world of translation guided by some of the best in the field. "

Two first-year students at Mt. Holyoke College reflect on their experiences attending the conference “Di froyen” at the Yiddish Book Center.

In this article Olive Benito-Myles and Naomi Piper-Pell reflect on their experience attending the conference "Di froyen" at the Yiddish Book Center.

02/07/2023

Progress Report: Reflections of a First-Time Yidish-lerer | In geveb

Sophia Elizabeth Shoulson, a first-time Yiddish teacher, reflects on strategies and assignments that allow students to see and appreciate how much they have learned.

A first-time Yiddish teacher reflects on strategies and assignments that allow students to see and appreciate how much they have learned.

02/01/2023

די טאַטעס און די קינדער | Fathers and Their Children | In geveb

New in our translation section: Matthew Brittingham translates "Fathers and their Children," a chapter from Chaim Malitz’s guide for Jewish immigrants, Di heym un di froy (New York City, 1918).

Though it's directed primarily at an audience of women, the author invites men to read it too: "If you read a couple chapters of this book... you’ll realize then and there just how much patience your darling angel has, and how much suffering and hardship she goes through."

A translation of the foreword and a chapter from Chaim Malitz's guide for Jewish immigrants, Di heym un di froy (New York City, 1918).

01/31/2023

Jewish Autobiographies in Polish Translation: An Interview with Joanna Degler | In geveb

Agnieszka Ilwicka-Karuna interviews Joanna Degler Lisek to discuss a monumental project to publish critical editions, in Polish, of 25 of the most important memoirs culled from a larger collection of historical Polish Jewish memoirs and autobiographical sources. We're excited to spread awareness about this important work with our English-reading audiences!

A interview discussing a project to publish critical editions, in Polish, of 25 of the most important memoirs culled from a larger collection of historical Poli

01/30/2023

Report from a Conference: "The Avant-Garde in Yiddish Culture: The 100th Anniversary of Khalyastre", June 14-15, 2022 | In geveb

The multifaceted phenomenon of the Yiddish avant-garde holds a borderline mythic status among scholars—a short lived, often contradictory utopian project many of whose protagonists tragically perished

Noa Tsaushu reports from the conference, "The Avant-Garde in Yiddish Culture: The 100th Anniversary of Khalyastre", held at Bar-Ilan University, June 14-15, 2022

The multifaceted phenomenon of the Yiddish avant-garde holds a borderline mythic status among scholars—a short lived, often contradictory utopian project many o

01/26/2023

The Latest Yiddish Translations, 2022 | In geveb

We are pleased to present our annual list of trans­la­tions from Yid­dish into oth­er lan­guages. How exciting that such a wealth of Yiddish literature in translation was published in 2022!

A roundup of translations published in 2022.

01/25/2023

Antifascist Yiddish for Beginners | In geveb

Jay Saper reflects on their course, “Antifascist Yiddish for Beginners,” which grew explicitly out of their personal, political, and artistic commitments and was created for the community they call home: an intergenerational group of artists and activists, mostly q***r and trans leftist Jews.

Saper's course, “Antifascist Yiddish for Beginners,” grew explicitly out of his personal, political, and artistic commitments and was created for the community

01/25/2023

My Way into Yiddish: Reflections of an Adult Learner | In geveb

Laurie Fisher, a Jewish Studies professor who happens to be a student of Yiddish, reflects on her experiences as someone who came to learning Yiddish later in life.

Laurie Fisher, a Jewish Studies professor who happens to be a student of Yiddish, reflects on her experiences as someone who came to learning Yiddish later in l

01/20/2023

A Conversation at ASEEES: Teaching Yiddish during the War in Ukraine | In geveb

To what extent can you teach, or should you teach, about the war in Ukraine in a beginner’s class? And if you do, are there particular strategies you use? Tanya Yakovleva, Sara Feldman, Oksana Sikorska and Jessica Kirzane discuss in this transcript of their conversation at ASEEES: Teaching Yiddish during the War in Ukraine.

At the 2022 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) conference this fall, a group of Yiddish instructors came together to discuss t

01/18/2023

Briv funem arkhiv: An American Package for Soviet Jews | In geveb

In our latest "briv funem arkhiv" piece, A melodramatic studio photograph illustrates the widening gap between the American and Soviet branches of Sasha Senderovich's family.
Mazel tov to Sasha, whose How the Soviet Jew Was Made (Harvard University Press) is a finalist for the National Jewish BookAward in the category of Modern Jewish Thought and Experience!

A melodramatic studio photograph illustrates the widening gap between the American and Soviet branches of the author's family.

01/13/2023

A Night at the (Yiddish) Opera: Bas Sheve’s North American Premiere | In geveb

Julie Sharff reports on the North American Premiere of Bas Sheve, a Yiddish opera, on August 31, 2022 at the biannual Ashkenaz festival in Toronto. Originally by Henekh Kon with libretto by Moishe Broderzon, Bas Sheve premiered in Warsaw on May 24, 1924. Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg professor of Jewish Studies Diana Matut rediscovered the score at a Yale University auction. When Matut found the score, there were sixteen missing pages. With a team consisting of composer Joshua Horowitz and librettist Michael Wex, Bas Sheve appeared reimagined and remastered for the twenty-first century.

As the biannual Ashkenaz festival kicked off, so did the North American Premiere of Bas Sheve, a Yiddish opera, on August 31, 2022.

01/11/2023

Review of Samuel J. Spinner's Jewish Primitivism | In geveb

Jeffrey A. Grossman offers a detailed review and analysis of Samuel J. Spinner's "elegant new study" Jewish Primitivism, which, Grossman explains, offers a new approach to the relationship between German and East European Jewish culture while also considering to what degree and in which ways differences among Jewish cultures reflect differences and interactions with the non-Jewish culture(s) around them.

With his elegant new study, Jewish Primitivism, Samuel J. Spinner offers a new approach to the relationship between German and East European Jewish culture whil

01/05/2023

Briv Funem Arkhiv: Letters of Sholem Aleichem to Vladimir Waisblat | In geveb

For our briv funem arkhiv series, Artur Rudzitsky discusses letters between Vladimir Naumovich Waisblatt and Sholem Aleichem concerning Yiddish theater. With special thanks to Tova Benjamin for her translation work!

For our briv funem arkhiv series, Artur Rudzinsky discusses letters between Vladimir Naumovich Waisblat and Sholem Aleichem concerning Yiddish theater in Kiev.

01/05/2023

Yiddish sof-vokh 2023 - Yiddish Café Trust

קומט קײן ענגלאַנד צום 2טן ייִדיש־סוף־װאָך אין מײַ! דאָרטן װעט איר מחיה זײַן זיך מיט 3 מעת־לעתן פֿון שמועסן, װאַרשטאַטן, רעפֿעראַטן, מוזיק... אַלץ אױף ייִדיש. 5טן ביז 7 מײַ 2023. פֿאַראַנען אױך סובבװענצן.

Come to England for the 2nd Yiddish Sof-Vokh! There you will delight in a full weekend of conversation, workshops, talks, music…
all in Yiddish. 5-7 May 2023. Bursaries available.

:Details and registration here

Yiddish Sof-Vokh UK 2023 The second UK weekend of Yiddish – A Yiddish Sof-Vokh May 5-7 2023 at Wortley Hall […]

12/18/2022

Your Guide to Yiddish and In geveb at the 2022 AJS Conference | In geveb

Just a reminder, if you're at the AJS conference, look for us this morning, from 8:30 to 10 am at Blue Bottle Coffee. This is an opportunity to gather and to chat informally about all things Yiddish studies. Feel free to bring ideas about what you might want to contribute to In geveb, tell us about your favorite pieces from the site, suggest what you would want to see more of from the journal, or just say hi!

This year, In geveb will be sponsoring a roundtable discussion on Yiddish pedagogy. On Sunday, December 18, from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, the roundtable “Vos iz? Yiddish Pedagogy in the 21st-century Academia” will take place in the Exeter Room (Third Floor, Sheraton Boston). This conversation will present an opportunity to reflect on the changes in Yiddish pedagogy over the last hundred years, to discuss current practices, and to lay out expectations and hopes for the future. Our very own editor-in-chief Jessica Kirzane will serve as moderator; Ellen Kellman, Beatrice Lang, Agi Legutko, Elena Luchina, and Sara Feldman will participate as discussants.

Read our guide to Yiddish and In geveb at the 2022 AJS Conference here:

This is the In geveb guide to Yiddish at the annual Association for Jewish Studies conference in Boston, December 2022.

12/15/2022

Review of From the Jewish Provinces by Fradl Shtok, translated by Jordan D. Finkin and Allison Schachter | In geveb

Sonia Gollance reviews From the Jew­ish Provinces: Select­ed Sto­ries by Fradl Shtok, trans­lat­ed by Jordan Finkin and Allison Schachter, calling it "a valuable and highly readable addition to Yiddish literature in translation."

From the Jewish Provinces is a valuable and highly readable addition to Yiddish literature in translation.

12/14/2022

An Interview with Simon Starr of YID! on their new album, ZETS! | In geveb

ZETS! is the newly released sec­ond album of the Mel­bourne-based band, YID! The album com­bi­nes tra­di­tion­al Yid­dish songs with orig­i­nal music and lyrics and draws inspi­ra­tion from Dark Side Of The Moon and the Beast­ie Boys’ Paul’s Bou­tique.
ZETS! was record­ed by the whole band plus guests between lock­downs in 2021.

Rebec­ca (Rivke) Mar­go­lis spoke with Simon Starr, orga­niz­er and bass play­er of YID! in August 2022. Read the interview here:

ZETS! is the second album of the Melbourne-based band, YID!

12/13/2022

The Voices of Yiddish Writers: A Bilingual Conversation on the new Bilingual Edition of Sheva Zucker's Collection of Printed and Recorded Yiddish Writing, The Golden Peacock | In geveb

Our latest piece for In geveb:

In this bilingual conversation, Sheva Zucker and Miriam Isaacs discuss Zucker's project, The Golden Peacock: The Voice of the Yiddish Writer Bilingual. The collection of writing by twelve Yiddish writers, classic and more modern writers, men and women, includes printed Yiddish text, translations, and recordings of the writers reading their own work.

Miriam Isaacs and Sheva Zucker discuss Zuker's project, The Golden Peacock: The Voice of the Yiddish Writer Bilingual, a book and recording featuring twelve Yid

12/06/2022

פּאַריז | Paris | In geveb

Abra­ham Sutzkev­er wrote ​“Paris” when stay­ing in the city in Decem­ber 1946, at the end of what was his first return to Europe after the Holo­caust. As Annabel Cohen describes it, "in the poem, look­ing out over the ​“city of all peo­ples,” away from the epi­cen­ter of his own trau­ma, Sutzkev­er finds he is able to breathe again, to redis­cov­er his con­nec­tion to the world, to human­i­ty, and to his Jew­ish identity."

See Annabel Cohen's translation of "Paris" here:

Annabel Cohen translates Abraham Sutzkever's poem, "Paris."

11/30/2022

We proudly present the In geveb guide to Yiddish at the annual Association for Jewish Studies conference in Boston, December 2022!

This year, In geveb will be sponsoring a roundtable discussion on Yiddish pedagogy. On Sunday, December 18, from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, the roundtable “Vos iz? Yiddish Pedagogy in the 21st-century Academia” will take place in the Exeter Room (Third Floor, Sheraton Boston). Our editor-in-chief Jessica Kirzane will serve as moderator; Ellen Kellman, Beatrice Lang, Agi Legutko, Elena Luchina, and Sara Feldman will participate as discussants.

We’d love to meet you! Look for the In geveb editors on Sunday, December 18, from 8:30 to 10 am at Blue Bottle Coffee. This is an opportunity to gather and to chat informally about all things Yiddish studies.

If you will not be at the AJS Conference but would like to connect with our editors, please write to [email protected] to schedule virtual office hours with us.

Did we miss anything? Are you (or someone you know) presenting on a Yiddish-related topic at the AJS conference that isn't listed here? Let us know so we can include you.

https://ingeveb.org/blog/your-guide-to-yiddish-and-in-geveb-at-the-2022-ajs-conference

11/30/2022

Thank you to all who have given to us for ! If you haven't given yet, there's still time! ingeveb.org/donate

Today is ! If In geveb has changed the way you learn or teach Yiddish, or helped you discover a new favorite Yiddish writer, please consider supporting us on this global day of generosity. ingeveb.org/donate

11/29/2022

Today is ! If In geveb has changed the way you learn or teach Yiddish, or helped you discover a new favorite Yiddish writer, please consider supporting us on this global day of generosity. ingeveb.org/donate

11/17/2022

The Golden Peacock and the Green Owl: Analyzing Yiddish Language Learners’ Experiences with Duolingo | In geveb

Who is learning Yiddish with Duolingo and why? What do they think of it? In winter 2022 Sarah Biskowitz circulated a survey to find out, and over three hundred people responded. Read about it here:

This article summarizes the findings of a poll of three-hundred students who study Yiddish with Duolingo.

11/15/2022

Let's not wait!: Introducing preschoolers to Yiddish through Leah Hoffman's Alefbeys | In geveb

In this piece Beth Dwoskin explains how Leah Hoffman's play about the Yiddish alphabet can be adapted for children's classes today. She presents her English translation of the play alongside a recording of the alefbeys song in English.

In this piece Beth Dwoskin explains how Leah Hoffman's play about the Yiddish alphabet can be adapted for children's classes today. She presents her English tra

11/11/2022

Review of Moshkele the Thief by Sholem Aleichem, trans. Curt Leviant | In geveb

Sean Sidky reviews Curt Leviant's translation of Sholem Aleichem's Moshkeleh the Thief, "a gripping story, full of colorful and surprising characters, told and translated in a beautifully direct and conversational tone." As he explains, the novel "offers far more to its readers in translation than simply the fact that it has never before been published in English."

In geveb is an open-access digital forum for the publication of peer-reviewed academic articles, the translation and annotation of Yiddish texts, the exchange of pedagogical materials, and a blog of Yiddish cultural life.

11/09/2022

Our latest peer reviewed article, by Rachel Rubinstein, discusses Jacobo Glantz's 1938 epic poem, Kris­to­bal Kolon, which con­nects dis­parate geo­gra­phies, his­to­ries, and peo­ples in a pow­er­ful revi­sion­ist nar­ra­tive.

The epic poem retells the Amer­i­c­as’ most icon­ic foun­da­tion­al myth using two unlike­ly guides: Luis de Tor­res, glanc­ing­ly men­tioned by Colum­bus as a Jew hired to serve as an inter­preter,and Gua­cana­gari, a cacique also briefly described in Columbus’s jour­nals. Writ­ten in a mul­ti­lin­gual Yid­dish with Span­ish, Taino, Latin, and Hebrew bor­row­ings, Glantz’s mas­ter­work offers a transna­tion­al vision of the Amer­i­c­as that insists — in Yid­dish — on its Jew­ish, Mus­lim, indige­nous and African ori­gins.

Rubinstein shows that the narrative sug­gest­s a new geog­ra­phy for Amer­i­can Jew­ish lit­er­a­ture that exceeds the bound­aries of what we under­stand the Amer­i­c­as and Jew­ish­ness to be, and chal­leng­es our expec­ta­tions of what Yid­dish lit­er­a­ture can contain.

https://ingeveb.org/articles/the-yiddish-columbus-critical-counter-history

11/08/2022

Introducing Alexander Stern, Editorial Intern | In geveb

Welcome to the latest member of our editorial team!

Welcome to the newest member of our team!