Yiddish – Live in L.A.

Proving once again that Yiddish is not a dead language, more than 250 people attended a two-day conference entitled: “Yiddish Arts and Culture; A West Coast Conference” in Los Angeles recently.

Keynote speaker Dr. Janet Hadda, associate professor of Yiddish at University of California at Los Angeles, traced the development of Yiddish through the ages, terming Yiddish “the language through which Jewish culture is viewed.”

Prof. Norma Fain Pratt of San Antonio College in Walnut, California discussed several Yiddish women poets in translation. She read from the poetry of Malka Heifetz Tussman (featured in LILITH if’17), and offered a personal tribute to the late poet.

Workshops covered topics ranging from basic Yiddish to Jewish folk art.

The conference was co-sponsored by Los Angeles Hillel Macor and YIVO.