Jake Schneider

Translations

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

Projects

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

Events

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

Writing

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

Upcoming Dates

Visit Berlin's Yiddishland walking tour

After a winter break, I have now resumed my walking tours about the history and daily life of Berlin's Yiddish-speaking immigrants. Due to a more crowded event calendar, I unfortunately cannot offer as many dates as usual this year, but I will try to offer at least one public tour a month. Private and group tours also available by appointment.

Info and save your spot

24 April: "Frishe Buchteln" at Yung Yiddish Vienna

I will be reading my poems at Vienna’s exciting new Yiddish cultural space alongside Annie Cohen of Pulling at Threads and the musician Oles Vilinchik of UkraYiddish.

More info and register

17 May: Reading in Belgrade

I will be reading my Yiddish poems as part of a festival of queer Jewish culture hosted by Haver Serbia, the local Jewish cultural center. I will also give a presentation on queer Yiddish history the following day.

More about Haver Serbia

24 May & 5 July: Open Mic – Nu? Yiddish in All Art Forms

In this new series of open mics I am moderating for Shtetl Berlin, Berlin's Yiddish community shares works in progress, side projects, and secret talents with each other, friends, and neighbors. English translations available. The third and fourth editions will be on 24 May and 5 July at HKW Wasserturm (the Kreuzberg historic water tower), starting 7:30 pm.

Follow the series on Facebook

Recent Publications

Yiddish Branzhe: "In 2025"

Two poems about the year 2025 in Yiddish Branzhe. In the first, I ask why my telephone can write a decent poem but can’t call up my departed relatives. The second, “silent storm 2: moon tower” is a sequel about sequels, set in Austin and featuring all-seeing doorbells, self-driving cars, a sexy assassin, and déjà-vu salutes. “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. 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 read the originals at the launch at Haus für Poesie on 10 April.

In Geveb: English Translation of "The Hideaway" by A.N. Stencl

The poet A.N. Stencl (1897–1983) was an insider-outsider during his 15 years in Berlin: he was penniless, stateless, often homeless—yet he socialized with the greats of Yiddish literature and culture at the Romanisches Café. His gritty memoirs of the Weimar Republic, Gerangl (Hustle), show the changing metropolis through the eager eyes of a poet. I am now translating them as a 2025 Translation Fellow of the Yiddish Book Center.

Read an excerpt

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 included in the 7th annual edition of Glitter, an all-queer, mostly German-language literary magazine based in Berlin.

Order a copy

“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.