Jewish Multilingualism in the Midwest: Yiddish Translations of Urban Experience

The study of modern Jewish cultural production in the United States has focused on the East and West coasts, particularly on the “center” of New York City. This Mellon-Sawyer seminar spotlights the Midwest as an interconnected region where Jewish writing and art flourished, addressing pressing social and political issues: urban sprawl, industrialization and worker abuse, gender, and racial inequalities.

The participants in the seminar, hailing from Midwestern institutions, will be presenting their research on Yiddish writers in urban contexts such as Detroit or Chicago, while also asking how might we reassess the landscape of Jewish American culture in view of these newly discussed materials? What contributions did Midwestern artists or those who observed this region make within the field of Yiddish letters? What role did translation and multilingualism play in Jewish writing about Midwestern society and how can we translate twentieth-century Yiddish literature for a contemporary audience?


Event Schedule:

Thursday, February 4th

2:00-3:30 pm
Maya Barzilai, University of Michigan:
Opening remarks

Julian Levinson, University of Michigan:
Ezra Korman and Jewish Detroit

4:00-5:15 pm
“Ezra Korman, Poet of My City”
Performance by Mikhl Yashinsky, followed by Q&A with Mikhail Krutikov


Friday, February 5th

9:00-9:50 am
Erin Faigin, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Centers and Provinces: H. Leivick & I. I. Segal

10:00-10:50 am
Jessica Kirzane, University of Chicago:
Pessie Pomerantz-Honigbaum’s Poetry: In-Progress Translations

11:00-11:50 am
Anna Torres, University of Chicago:
Malka Heifetz Tussman and the Chicago Anarchist Press

1:00-1:50 pm
Sunny Yudkoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Lune Mattes: Miniature Skyscrapers