Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath
Encyclopedia
Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath (born 1958) is a Yiddish-language poet who was born in The Bronx, New York, USA. She grew up in a Yiddish-speaking home and attended Yiddish schools as a child. She began writing poetry, much of which was published in the journals Yugntruf
and Afn Shvel, in 1980. Several poems were published in English and Yiddish in Hadassah magazine, the literary journal Five Fingers Review, and various anthologies. While her poems range widely in subject matter, her lyric technique
is remarkably consistent. She tends towards short poems of no more than two pages, exploring single incidents or observations fully but using highly compressed language. She uses rhyme
in many but not all poems, and varies rhyme scheme
within a poem when necessary. She uses a variety of meter
as well as unmetered verse. While her technique produces poems of unusual intensity, they are leavened with playfulness and pun
s. Her subject matter includes big questions such as marriage and grief; and small questions such as baking a failed loaf of bread. A poem about the day following the September 11, 2001 attacks is eerily still.
Her 2003 book Plutsemdiker Regn/Sudden Rain is a bilingual edition of about 40 of her poems in Yiddish and English. Although Schaechter-Viswanath is a native speaker of both languages, she does not write poetry in English and does not translate her own Yiddish works into English. Her translators are Zackary Sholem Berger, himself a poet in both English and Yiddish, and Jeffrey Shandler, associate professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University
and a well-known translator. The magazine Hadassah called her poems "introspective and witty," and the book was hailed as "that rarest of miracles: a first book of poetry in which every poem is a gem" by the Newsletter of the Association of Jewish Libraries
.
Schaechter-Viswanath's intellectual pursuits have been widely varied: she earned degrees in Jewish literature, Russian language
, nursing and health administration. She works as a clinical consultant in health care and remains active in Yiddish cultural endeavors. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey
, with her husband and three children, and practices Orthodox Judaism
. Her children all speak Yiddish as well as their father’s first language, Tamil
.
. Her father, Mordkhe Schaechter
, was an influential linguist of the Yiddish language. Her aunt Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman
is a poet and songwriter; sister Rukhl Schaechter is a journalist with the Yiddish Forward; sister Eydl Reznik teaches Yiddish and directed a Yiddish chorus among the ultra-Orthodox community in Tsfat, Israel
; and brother Binyumen Schaechter
is a Yiddish composer and performer. Schaechter-Viswanath and her siblings all maintain Yiddish-speaking homes.
Yugntruf
Yugntruf , or "Youth for Yiddish" is an organization of young Yiddish-speaking adults that is dedicated to the spread of the Yiddish language through various programs and events. It was founded by David Roskies and Gavi Trunk under the guidance of the late Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter in 1964...
and Afn Shvel, in 1980. Several poems were published in English and Yiddish in Hadassah magazine, the literary journal Five Fingers Review, and various anthologies. While her poems range widely in subject matter, her lyric technique
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
is remarkably consistent. She tends towards short poems of no more than two pages, exploring single incidents or observations fully but using highly compressed language. She uses rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
in many but not all poems, and varies rhyme scheme
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...
within a poem when necessary. She uses a variety of meter
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
as well as unmetered verse. While her technique produces poems of unusual intensity, they are leavened with playfulness and pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s. Her subject matter includes big questions such as marriage and grief; and small questions such as baking a failed loaf of bread. A poem about the day following the September 11, 2001 attacks is eerily still.
Her 2003 book Plutsemdiker Regn/Sudden Rain is a bilingual edition of about 40 of her poems in Yiddish and English. Although Schaechter-Viswanath is a native speaker of both languages, she does not write poetry in English and does not translate her own Yiddish works into English. Her translators are Zackary Sholem Berger, himself a poet in both English and Yiddish, and Jeffrey Shandler, associate professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and a well-known translator. The magazine Hadassah called her poems "introspective and witty," and the book was hailed as "that rarest of miracles: a first book of poetry in which every poem is a gem" by the Newsletter of the Association of Jewish Libraries
Association of Jewish Libraries
The Association of Jewish Libraries is an international organization dedicated to the production, collection, organization and dissemination of Judaic resources and library/media/information service...
.
Schaechter-Viswanath's intellectual pursuits have been widely varied: she earned degrees in Jewish literature, Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, nursing and health administration. She works as a clinical consultant in health care and remains active in Yiddish cultural endeavors. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, with her husband and three children, and practices Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
. Her children all speak Yiddish as well as their father’s first language, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
.
Family
Schaechter-Viswanath is a member of a leading family in Yiddish language and cultural studiesSchaechter-Gottesman
The Schaechter-Gottesman family is a leading family in Yiddish language and cultural studies.Members include:*Lifshe Schaechter-Widman*Mordkhe Schaechter - Yiddish linguist, teacher, and writer...
. Her father, Mordkhe Schaechter
Mordkhe Schaechter
Itsye Mordkhe Schaechter was a leading Yiddish linguist, as well as a writer and educator who spent a lifetime studying, standardizing and teaching the language. Dr...
, was an influential linguist of the Yiddish language. Her aunt Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman
Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman
Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman is a Yiddish poet and songwriter.-Biography:She was born in Vienna into an Eastern-European, Yiddish-speaking family; her family left for Czernowitz, Ukraine and settled there when Schaechter-Gottesman was a young child...
is a poet and songwriter; sister Rukhl Schaechter is a journalist with the Yiddish Forward; sister Eydl Reznik teaches Yiddish and directed a Yiddish chorus among the ultra-Orthodox community in Tsfat, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
; and brother Binyumen Schaechter
Binyumen Schaechter
Binyumen Schaechter is a Yiddish composer and performer, as well as conductor of the Jewish People's Philharmonic Chorus and the Pripetshik Singers, an ensemble of native-Yiddish-speaking children. They have performed at Lincoln Center, Shea Stadium, Synagogues, and JCC's across the Northeast...
is a Yiddish composer and performer. Schaechter-Viswanath and her siblings all maintain Yiddish-speaking homes.