The Yiddish Book Center's

Yiddish Book Center Recorded Programs

Lectures, events, and public programs recorded at the Yiddish Book Center

CONVERSATION | From a Polish Shtetl to Yiddish New York: The Life and Work of Ray Faust, Artist Extraordinaire, with Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Barry Faust

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett | Barry Faust

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CONVERSATION | From a Polish Shtetl to Yiddish New York: The Life and Work of Ray Faust, Artist Extraordinaire, with Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Barry Faust

Featuring: Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett | Barry Faust

Join curator Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Barry Faust (grandson of Ray Faust) for a conversation about artist and writer Ray Faust (1900–1993.) Ray was dedicated to Yiddish—the language and culture. Whether with pen or brush, she recorded what she remembered about growing up in her beloved hometown in Poland. She immigrated to the United States in 1920 and died in New York City in 1993. Ray lived in the Bronx—the Bronx Botanical Garden was immortalized in many of her paintings. This program is presented in conjunction with the opening of an exhibit of Ray Faust’s work opening at the Yiddish Book Center on April 16, 2023.

A collection of her paintings and drawings was donated to the Yiddish Book Center by her grandson Barry Faust.

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is the Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator, Core Exhibition at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Barbara has worked with the Yiddish Book Center curating an exhibit of Ray Faust’s paintings and drawings opening at the Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, on April 16, 2023.

Barry Faust was born in New York City in 1955. His father was Harold Faust, and his mother was Sheba Faust. His paternal grandmother was Ray Faust. Barry grew up in the Bronx, graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, and received a Bachelor of Science in computer science at the City College of NY. He married Randy Schiller-Faust (at Michmoret, Israel) in 1991 and they have two sons: Julian (born 1993) and Ari (born 1995). He worked a year as a computer programmer for JP Morgan and then worked 43 years in various technical, sales, and management positions at IBM. He is an avid cyclist and pickleball player.

Robert Lehrer is Ray Faust’s nephew. He is now retired but was a professor at the School of Medicine at UCLA.

This event took place on April 27, 2023. It was presented online by the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA.

This recording was digitized and added to the library in May 2023.

This recording is in English

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