Looking to inject a little Yiddishkeit into your life? Drop by the Pikesville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library in March and April for programming aimed at making mamaloshen mavens kvell.
Presented by BCPL and the Amherst, Massachusetts-based Yiddish Book Center, “Between Two Worlds” offers an array of programs exploring the rich worlds of Yiddish literature and Jewish culture.
The events are presented as part of the YBC’s Public Libraries Program, a partnership with the American Library Association made possible by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.
First up in the series will be “A Taste of Eden: A Celebration of Jewish Stories” on Sunday, Mar. 1, from 2-3 p.m.
The program will be led by Noa Baum, a Jerusalem-born, Silver Spring-based storyteller and author, and is aimed at youngsters in elementary school, tweens and teens, as well as adults. Baum will speak about Yiddish folktales and their epic stories of wonder, magic, community and faith.
On Sunday, Mar. 15, from 2-3 p.m., the Pikesville branch will offer a discussion of “A Jewish Refugee in New York” (Indiana University Press) by the late Polish-Jewish poet and writer Kadya Molodovsky.
The novel — translated from Yiddish to English by Jewish literature scholar Anita Norich — chronicles the life and times of a 20-year-old woman who moves to New York from Poland shortly before the start of World War II. (Space is limited.)
Writer, poet and translator of Yiddish literature Yerimyahu Ahron Taub will speak at the “Pikesville Speaker Series” on Wednesday, Mar. 25, from 2-3 p.m. A Philadelphia native who lives in Washington, D.C., Taub is the author of two books of fiction and six volumes of poetry.
Also speaking at the speaker series — but on Wednesday, Apr. 15 — will be Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, a Baltimore-based author, spiritual leader and environmentalist.
From 2-3 p.m., Rabbi Cardin will discuss her new book “To Forever Inhabit This Earth: An Ethic of Enoughness” (Behrman House). “Rigorous, yet lyrical, lofty yet practical, ‘To Forever Inhabit This Earth’ belongs on the bookshelves of those who cherish Jewish texts and the environment around us,” wrote the Jewish Book Council.
The following day, Apr. 16, join the library from 2-4 p.m. for a “pop-up cinema” event featuring “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles.” This 2019 documentary chronicles the story of the 1964 Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” as well as its long reach across cultures and time.
On Sunday, Apr. 19, from 2-3 p.m., the library’s “Sunday Book Club” will host a discussion about “Tevye the Dairyman” and “Motl the Cantor’s Son” by Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem (born Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich in what is now central Ukraine).
Attendees are encouraged to visit the Pikesville branch to register and receive a copy of the book, translated from Yiddish to English by Aliza Shevrin, the foremost translator of Sholem Aleichem. (Space is limited.)
Lastly, on Thursday, Apr. 30, Rikud Baltimore will offer an Israeli folk dance class for tweens, teens and adults from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Attendees will learn the fundamentals and basics of Israeli folk dancing from Joshua Rosenthal, Rikud Baltimore’s dance instructor and co-founder.
The Pikesville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library is located at 1301 Reisterstown Road. For information, visit bcpl.info or call 410-887-1234.
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