The Jewish criminal underworld has been a recurring motif in modern Yiddish literature, from its beginnings in the mid-19th century to stories written in modern-day Israel. Some of the works devoted to this topic became popular even beyond the realm of Yiddish letters. Sholem Asch’s play “God of Vengeance,” for instance, was the first Yiddish play to enjoy considerable success on the world stage, being produced in German, Russian, and English, among other languages. In more than one case, the actors in these productions were put on trial for charges of obscenity.

What are the reasons for this unrelenting interest in the Jewish underworld? How was this topic shaped in Yiddish literature? How did it present the range of Jewish criminals—thieves, prostitutes, and gangsters? This talk offered by Prof. Avraham Novershtern of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem addresses these questions, while situating them in their larger cultural and literary contexts.

Thursday, May 12, 2011 8 PM Koret Pavilion at the Ziff Center (Hillel at Stanford)

This lecture was a program of the Yiddish Book Center, organized as part of Isaac Bleaman's 2010-11 Cultural Fellowship at Stanford. With support from the Jack & Ruthe B. Cowl Center for Jewish Culture and the Righteous Persons Foundation. Co-sponsored by the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, the Jewish Student Association, the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, and Hillel at Stanford. For more information, please contact Isaac Bleaman (ibleaman [at] stanford.edu).