Spokane Public Library has been selected as one of 40 libraries nationwide to participate in the Yiddish Book Center’s Public Libraries Program on the theme “Between Two Worlds: Exploring Jewish Culture and Religion through Yiddish Literature”!
A once-prominent language throughout Eastern Europe, Yiddish is now only spoken by an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people. After the devastation of the Holocaust, the world lost around half of its Yiddish-speaking population. As such, the Yiddish Book Center’s mission is to revitalize the Yiddish language and share the rich Jewish life, religion, and culture surrounding it – alive and thriving today. This helps to foster vibrant cross-cultural dialogue and discussion in our communities.
With this opportunity, Spokane Public Library received a grant to send a staff member to a three-day workshop onsite at the Yiddish Book Center campus in Amherst, Massachusetts, in November 2025.
“The training was an incredible experience. I met librarians from all around the country and learned about the Yiddish language and the vibrant culture it originates from,” said Becky Mace, the library representative who attended the training.
$2,000 of these grant funds will also be used to fund a portion of the events listed below and to provide over 50 Yiddish-translated materials to the library collection.
- Wednesday, March 25 at 12pm | Virtual Book Club: A Jewish Refugee in New York by Kadya Molodovsky (translated by Anita Norich)
- Wednesday, April 22 at 12pm | Virtual Book Club: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
- Salt Houses was chosen for its exploration of the refugee experience, reflecting themes of cultural understanding and resettlement recommended by the Yiddish Book Center
- Sunday, April 26 at 1pm at Central Library | Yiddish Music with Meshugga Daddies
- Sunday, April 26 at 2pm at Central Library | Film Screening of Welcome to Yiddishland
- Sunday, May 17 at 1pm at Shadle Park Library | Film Screening of Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
- Sunday, May 17 at 2:45pm at Shadle Park Library | Book Discussion: Tevye the Dairyman by Sholem Aleichem (translated by Aliza Shevrin)
- Sunday, May 31 at 2pm at South Hill Library| Looking Back, Looking Forward: Finding Personal Meaning in the Jewish Immigration Story
- Wednesday, September 30 at 12pm | Virtual Book Club: Zelmenyaners: A Family Saga by Moyshe Kulbak (translated by Hillel Halkin)
As a Community of Learning, Spokane Public Library strives to inspire a thriving city through cultural and educational opportunities. We hope you’ll join us in elevating these pieces of Yiddish-translated literature and be a part of our vision for a more vibrant and multicultural community.
