Celebrate the publication of Jeffrey Shandler’s new book, Yiddish: Biography of a Language

Book Talk | Join us for a conversation celebrating Jeffrey Shandler‘s new book, Yiddish: Biography of a Language with Shandler, Anita Norich, and Ayala Fader, moderated by YIVO’s Academic Advisor and Director of Exhibitions Eddy Portnoy.

Yiddish: Biography of a Language presents the story of Yiddish, the defining vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews, from its origins to the present. Shandler relates the multifaceted history of Yiddish in the form of a biographical profile. Through a series of thematic chapters—from “Name” and “Date and Place of Birth” to “Religion” and “Life Expectancy”—he offers surprising insights into the dynamic interrelation of the language, its speakers, and their culture and explores the varied symbolic investments that Yiddish speakers and others have made in the language.