Reading Yiddish Poetry in Translation

Please join Emily Mazza to explore English translations of Yiddish-language poetry. We will discuss our reactions to and interpretations of the texts; Yiddish-to-English translation practices; and the historical circumstances of the poets and events of the poems themselves. All poems will be available in English with the original Yiddish text and transliteration, as well as audio recordings, if available.

We will work with themes concerning the Holocaust, Jewish life in Eastern Europe and the United States, religious interpretation, and Yiddish-English linguistics. No previous knowledge of Yiddish required, only interest and enthusiasm in the topic! Adults and teens are welcome to join us.

This will be an excellent opportunity explore our connections to our roots and to the history of our families and people. It will also present us with a chance engage with Yiddish and Yiddish-language materials in order to explore our Jewish identity or our interest in Judaism in a new or different way.

Please join us on four Wednesdays (July 15, 22, 29, and August 5) to learn more about Yiddish, Jewish history, and the art of translation and interpretation. Enrollment limited to 20 people.

Please contact the Congregation Bet Ha’am office for the registration link: admin@bethaam.org.

Emily Mazza holds a degree in Eastern European history and Jewish studies from Smith College. After college, she lived in Lithuania for a year where she taught English in a school context, and English and Hebrew one-on-one and in classes to Russian speakers at her local synagogue in Klaipeda. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in history with a specialization in Jewish studies at Central European University in Budapest and Vienna.