Josh's Letter

A Letter to Alumni from the Yiddish Book Center Academic Director

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Dear alumni,

I’m writing to you at a strange and difficult moment, as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in the US and across the world. It’s a comfort, in this unprecedented situation, to know that I have lots to read during the coming weeks when I’ll be home with my family, waiting out the virus and hoping for the best. On my shelf I have a couple of first novels by Tent: Creative Writing alumni and several new translations by Yiddish Book Center Translation Fellows, too. And, if that’s not enough, every day I discover a new poem or video or essay on the web by one or another of you. So, thank you all for keeping me company.

Amidst all this larger uncertainty, and after many wonderful years at the Center, I’ll be changing jobs this summer, to take a professorship at Wellesley College. I'm delighted to share that Mindl (Madeleine) Cohen, herself an alumna of the Steiner Summer Yiddish Program, will be the new Academic Director. I have a strong feeling that I’ll stay connected to the Center, as so many of you have—and I hope we’ll stay connected, too. I won’t be hard to find; please drop me a line any time you want to talk about books, or if you’re passing through Boston and would like to meet up. The conventional Yiddish sign-off has never felt more appropriate . . .

Zayt gezunt—stay healthy!

Josh Lambert

Academic Director

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From the back page of Di feder