Yiddish Renaissance
Encyclopedia
The Yiddish Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement which began among Jews in Eastern Europe
during the latter part of the 19th Century. Some of the leading founders of this movement were Mendele Moykher-Sforim (1836–1917), I.L. Peretz
(1852–1915), and Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916).
In 1861, Yehoshua Mordechai Lifshitz, who is considered the father of Yiddishism and Yiddish lexicography, circulated an essay entitled “The Four Classes” in which he referred to Yiddish as a completely separate language from both German
and Hebrew and the mother tongue of the Jewish people. He contended that the refinement and development of Yiddish were indispensable for the humanization and education of Jews. He also proposed Yiddish as a bridge linking Jewish and European cultures.
In 1908, a conference proclaiming Yiddish a modern language with a developing high culture gathered in the Austro-Hungarian city of Czernowitz, Bukovina. The organizers of this gathering expressed a sense of urgency to the delegates that Yiddish as a language and as the binding glue of Jews throughout Eastern Europe needed help. They proclaimed that the status of Yiddish reflected the status of the Jewish people. Thus only by saving the language could the Jews as a people be saved from the onslaught of assimilation.
Due in large part to the efforts of this movement, Yiddish became one of the great languages of the world, spoken by over 11,000,000 people. As many Eastern European Jews began to emigrate to the United States
, the movement became very active there, especially in New York City
. One aspect of this became known as Yiddish Theatre
, and involved authors such as Ben Hecht
and Clifford Odets
.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
during the latter part of the 19th Century. Some of the leading founders of this movement were Mendele Moykher-Sforim (1836–1917), I.L. Peretz
I.L. Peretz
Isaac Leib Peretz , also known as Yitskhok Leybush Peretz and Icchok Lejbusz Perec or Izaak Lejb Perec , best known as I.L. Peretz, was a Yiddish language author and playwright. Payson R. Stevens, Charles M...
(1852–1915), and Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916).
In 1861, Yehoshua Mordechai Lifshitz, who is considered the father of Yiddishism and Yiddish lexicography, circulated an essay entitled “The Four Classes” in which he referred to Yiddish as a completely separate language from both German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Hebrew and the mother tongue of the Jewish people. He contended that the refinement and development of Yiddish were indispensable for the humanization and education of Jews. He also proposed Yiddish as a bridge linking Jewish and European cultures.
In 1908, a conference proclaiming Yiddish a modern language with a developing high culture gathered in the Austro-Hungarian city of Czernowitz, Bukovina. The organizers of this gathering expressed a sense of urgency to the delegates that Yiddish as a language and as the binding glue of Jews throughout Eastern Europe needed help. They proclaimed that the status of Yiddish reflected the status of the Jewish people. Thus only by saving the language could the Jews as a people be saved from the onslaught of assimilation.
Due in large part to the efforts of this movement, Yiddish became one of the great languages of the world, spoken by over 11,000,000 people. As many Eastern European Jews began to emigrate to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the movement became very active there, especially in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. One aspect of this became known as Yiddish Theatre
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; naturalist drama; expressionist and...
, and involved authors such as Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
and Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, socialist, and social protester.-Early life:Odets was born in Philadelphia to Romanian- and Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Louis Odets and Esther Geisinger, and raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high...
.