Jake Schneider

Translations

I have been working as a freelance translator since 2012, mostly from German to English.

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Projects

As a passionate Yiddishist, I organize many projects related to Yiddish culture and history.

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Events

I organize and participate in a wide range of literary and cultural events.

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Writing

I write poetry in Yiddish and essays in English, often on themes of time and memory.

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Upcoming Dates

30 Mar, 11am-6pm: Berlin Yiddish Cabaret Workshop
On my birthday, I will be facilitating a workshop as part of Shtetl Berlin's weekend of Yiddish cabaret. In our workshop, we will look at original texts from this vibrant and neglected local history and write new creative adaptations of our own. This session will complement a singing workshop with the legendary Daniel Kahn and Sarah Gordon. Participation is free, but spots are limited.
Save Your Spot
April & May: Visit Berlin's Yiddishland walking tour
After a winter break, my music-filled walking tour of Berlin's old Yiddish-speaking neighborhood is returning on 6 April in English (with Yiddish music), and I will be giving the tour entirely in Yiddish on 4 May. Private tours available by appointment.
Info and save your spot
10 April: Anthology Launch at Haus für Poesie
I will be reading some of my Yiddish poems at the (mostly German-language) release event for Parabolis Virtualis, an anthology of new queer poetry by immigrants to Germany.
Event information
16 April: Open Mic – Nu? Yiddish in All Art Forms (Third Seder)
In this new series of open mics I am moderating for Shtetl Berlin, Berlin's Yiddish community shares works in progress, side projects, secret talents with each other, friends, and neighbors. English translations available for the writing – alongside other art forms that transcend language. Our first open mic was a great success. More details on the second, Passover edition will be posted soon – save the date (16 April)
Follow the series on Facebook
24 April: Reading at Yung Yiddish Vienna
I will be reading my poems at the exciting new Yiddish cultural space in Vienna alongside Annie Cohen of Pulling at Threads and the musician Oles Vilinchik of UkraYiddish. More information soon.
More on Yung Yiddish Vienna

Recent Publications

Forverts: Yiddish is Alive in Texas
In the linguistically diverse US state of Texas, Yiddish has much deeper history and a more vibrant present than one might expect. I originally published this article in Yiddish, but it is now also available in an English adaptation. Image: A Yiddish-speaking gathering in Austin, February 2025
Read the English version
Parabolis Viritualis 4: Anthology of Queer Poetry
German translations of three of my Yiddish poems were featured in Quer Verlag's anthology of queer poetry in Germany with a focus on immigrant writers, edited by Kevin Junk. I will be reading the originals at the launch at Haus für Poesie on 10 April.
Launch Event
In Geveb: English Translation of "The Hideaway" by A.N. Stencl
“If you go to a Jewish canteen on Schönhauser Strasse or a café around Hackescher Markt, you are always taking a risk—of a raid for forged ration coupons, dollar bills, émigrés with no papers… The police take their places by the exits; and there’s a police van, a Black Maria, idling in a nearby alley.”
Read
Di Goldene Pawe: Two Poems
Two of my poems were printed in issue 2 of Amsterdam's new Yiddish magazine, Di Goldene Pawe, alongside Dutch translations by Dovid Omar Cohen. Their website also features a recorded reading of my poem "Zeitzone (Tempelhof)" by Gloria Fein Makkink (the second audio clip on the page). The poem is also included in their PDF sample of the issue.
Magazine website (in Dutch)
Forverts: Language Revitalization Activists Come Together
An article in the Forverts, the longest-running Yiddish newspaper, about collaborations between language reclamation activists from different language communities and the role of Yiddish in these efforts.
Read the article (in Yiddish)
Glitter 7: “a pebble from the fountain of youth”
A poem of mine in Yiddish original, transliteration, and Horst Bernhardt's wonderful German translation was just included in the 7th annual edition of Glitter, an all-queer, mostly German-language literary magazine based in Berlin.
Order a copy

Discussion of Yiddish Revitalization

During the 2025 Farbindungen conference, I initiated and moderated a discussion in Yiddish about the role of linguistic insecurities in post-postvernacular Yiddish spaces, together with sociolinguist Magali Cécile Bertrand and Yiddish revitalization activists Meena-Lifshe Viswanath and Lily Weitzman.

Keep in Touch

Feel free to contact me via the contact form and I will reply as soon as possible via email.

I have postponed my ambitions to create a personal newsletter. If you are interested in Yiddish cultural events in Berlin, I recommend the Shtetl Berlin newsletter, which also announces events by other individuals and groups in our community such as Yiddish.Berlin.

Follow me on Instagram @jakeausdemschneider to see my latest Shmues un Vayn collages and other personal announcements.