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

Visit Berlin's Yiddishland walking tour
Learn about the history and daily life of Yiddish-speaking immigrants to Berlin with this grassroots walking tour.
Info and save your spot
17 May: Reading and Exhibition in Belgrade
I will be reading my Yiddish poems at a festival of queer Jewish culture hosted by Haver Serbia. The center will also present a small exhibition of my collages and I will give a talk about queer Yiddish history.
More about Haver Serbia
24 May & 5 July: Open Mic – Nu? Yiddish in All Art Forms
At this series of open mic cabarets, which I initiated and host, Berlin's Yiddish community shares works in progress, side projects, and secret talents with each other, friends, and neighbors. English translations available.
Follow the series on Facebook
1 June: Yiddish-speaking meetup in Boston
During a visit to Boston, I'm excited to take part in a meetup of the new Yiddish-speaking "fabreng:boston" initiative at Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, and will share a few of my poems.
Register (for Yiddish speakers)
10-15 June: Shtetl Berlin Festival
I will be reading my poetry and giving a lecture on contemporary Yiddish culture during the lecture series at this year's festival.
Info and tickets

Recent Publications

Forverts: "Cockney Yiddish"
A podcast, a language and a way of life: two London historians revive the old Jewish East End in our imaginations. An article about the past and present of Yiddish in London.
Read article (in Yiddish)
Yiddish Branzhe: "In 2025"
Two poems about the year 2025 in Yiddish Branzhe. “which do I prefer: to be run over / by a car with no driver, or by a car with a driver: a murderer?”
Read the poems (in Yiddish)
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. A Yiddish article I wrote, now available in English.
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 read the originals at the launch at Haus für Poesie on 10 April.
Order a copy
In Geveb: "The Hideaway" by A.N. Stencl
The poet A.N. Stencl (1897–1983) was an insider-outsider during his 15 years in Berlin. I am now translating his gritty memoirs of the Weimar Republic, Gerangl (Hustle), as a 2025 Translation Fellow of the Yiddish Book Center.
Read an excerpt
Di Goldene Pawe: Two Poems
Two poems in issue 2 of Amsterdam's Yiddish journal, Di Goldene Pawe, with Dovid Omar Cohen's Dutch translations. Their website also features a recorded reading of my poem "Zeitzone (Tempelhof)" (the second audio clip), which 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 included in the 7th annual edition of Glitter, an all-queer, mostly German-language literary magazine based in Berlin.
Order a copy
Hamburg's Queer Poem Walk
A poem of mine in Arndt Beck's German translation has been featured in the Queer Poem Walk in Hamburg, a project of the city's one-of-a-kind queer book club.
More info

“Nu? Yiddish in All Art Forms”: A New Open Mic in Berlin

For Shtetl Berlin, I am coordinating a new open mic series focused on contemporary Yiddish culture in all art forms, presented primarily in Yiddish but including English translations of all acts. Follow the series on Facebook or subscribe to the Shtetl Berlin newsletter for updates on future dates.

The first edition on 18 March was covered in the Forward by Luise Fakler:

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.