Jewish Values as Reflected in Yiddish Literature - The 92nd Street Y, New York

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Jewish Values as Reflected in Yiddish Literature

Jewish Values as Reflected in Yiddish Literature

Nov 1, 1955


Novelist, translator, and lecturer Maurice Samuel speaks about Jewish values as reflected in Yiddish literature. This lecture is the first part of the second annual Jewish Omnibus program at the 92nd Street Y. Samuel argues that Jewish values are becoming less “self-understood” as Jews live in a less localized, regionalized world. Yiddish literature, he contends, was written by Jews for Jews, and therefore inherently reflects Jewish culture and values in a way that English literature cannot. Samuel emphasizes “the divinity of history,” a sense of responsibility towards the Jewish people, and a strong will for survival as distinctly Jewish values observable in the Yiddish literary tradition. The lecture is followed with questions from the audience.

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