Spring 2021 lineup features jazz, poetry, cookbooks, politics, and more

The Yiddish Book Center has announced its virtual public programming lineup for spring 2021. A rich tapestry of art, history, and language, the series features presentations from preeminent authors, artists, scholars, and more. All programs are free and air on Facebook and Zoom.

Registration is required and audience members may submit questions in the Q&A. All programs are archived on the Yiddish Book Center website at yiddishbookcenter.org/vpp-recordings. 

For more information and to register, visit the Yiddish Book Center programs calendar at yiddishbookcenter.org/virtual-programs-calendar.

SPRING 2021 (subject to change) 

Radio Drama: The Dead Man, By Sholem Asch 
Sunday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Sholem Asch’s haunting WWI drama, The Dead Man, is presented as a radio drama in its first-ever complete English translation by actress, director, and translator Caraid O’Brien. Presented by the Yiddish Book Center as part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope festival

2021 Melinda Rosenblatt Lecture: Jews and American Politics: Historical Ideals and Contemporary Realities 
Sunday, May 16, 2 p.m.
Professor and author Jonathan Sarna discusses presidential elections from the Civil War to the present, demonstrating that “Jewish politics” has a long and significant history that has shaped both Jews and American politics for over 150 years.

Great Jewish Books Lecture: 
Family Secrets and the Graphic Novel: Rutu Modan’s The Property and Nora Krug’s Belonging 
Tuesday, May 11, 7 p.m.
Writer and professor Tahneer Oksman addresses questions about how we understand horrific events of the past as they are explored through the flexible and capacious medium of comics.

Jews and Jazz: Before the Beginning 
Thursday, June 3, 7 p.m. 
Author, producer, and performer Henry Sapoznik examines the nascent “jazz” offerings of pioneering performances of recording klezmorim, the earlier generation of European-born Jewish musicians.

Modicut Yiddish Puppet Theater, 1925–1933 
Thursday, June 17, 7 p.m.
This lecture from scholar Eddy Portnoy, featuring photos, illustrations, and a short film, will detail the compelling history of this unusual Yiddish puppet theater.

Cooking in Yiddish: Highlights from the Yiddish Book Center’s Collection 
Thursday, June 24, 7 p.m.
Yiddish cookbooks tell fascinating stories about their authors, publishers, and intended readers. Drawing on gems in the Yiddish Book Center’s collection, this talk with scholar and cookbook collector Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will explore what this unique literary genre can reveal about Jewish life.