The Yiddish Book Centre in Amherst, Massachusetts, embodies the miracle of Yiddish in our time. The center was initially founded by Aaron Lansky in 1980 when he saw the need to save Yiddish books that would have otherwise ended up in the trash heap. The organization has kept over 1 million books to date!

The center’s mission is to tell the whole Jewish story by rescuing, translating and disseminating Yiddish books and presenting innovative educational programs that broaden understanding of modern Jewish identity. As part of continuing the legacy of Yiddish, they regularly invite speakers to talk about Yiddish and Yiddish initiatives.

Last week it was my pleasure to talk about my upcoming documentary Yiddish: A Tale of Survival. I was invited to speak to a group of University students studying Yiddish over the summer. Below is a short excerpt from the talk.

And for more about the film visit, Yiddish: A Tale of Survival.