As a speaker, instructor, tour guide, and workshop leader, I am involved in an array of ongoing projects related to Yiddish language, literature, community, and culture. These include a lecture on queer Yiddish history since 1877, walking tours and workshops about the history of Eastern European Jews in Berlin, and a six-session seminar on migration in Yiddish literature. I am available to present on these subjects in various formats, both for private individuals and institutions, either in person or online.
I am a Yiddish speaker descended from many generations of Yiddish speakers, though the transmission of the language was interrupted in my family – as in many others – and I learned it as an adult.
Many of my current projects and events are directly or loosely affiliated with the group Yiddish.Berlin, a community of artists, scholars, activists, and enthusiasts based in Berlin and dedicated to Yiddish.
“Visit Berlin’s Yiddishland” walking tour (2022–ongoing, available in English and Yiddish)
An immersive guided tour of Berlin’s historically Eastern European Jewish neighborhood, including music and images from the period, a silent film, and singing by the participants. Available by appointment for individuals and groups.
Tour guide
Queer Yiddish (2022–ongoing, available in English and Yiddish)
A multimedia presentation about the intersection of queerness and Yiddish from 1877 to the present. Presented in several Yiddish and English versions at venues in Germany and the UK as well as virtually.
Presenter
Yiddish in Berlin, Past and Present (since 2021)
I have given a variety of workshops, tours, and presentations on the history of Yiddish-speaking immigrants and their literature in the city. I usually combine this topic with an introduction to the language and its role in Jewish cultural history.
Yiddish Sof-Vokh UK (since 2022)
I am on the organizing committee for this annual weekend retreat of Yiddish immersion in England, and also presented workshops and talks during both of the first two editions.
Before I turned my focus as an organizer to Yiddish culture, I was involved in Berlin’s independent literary publishing scene as the editor-in-chief of the literary journal SAND.
In that capacity I coordinated a fifteen-person editorial team, obtained funding from the city, traveled to book fairs, and promoted the journal through interviews in the press. I was also involved in many literary events.
SAND: Literature and Art
A Berlin-based, English-language literary and arts journal published twice per year. I served as editor in chief from 2017 to 2021 (nine issues), and as poetry editor from 2015 to 2016 (two issues).
STILL Magazine
A bilingual journal of art and photography based in Berlin and New York. I served as translation editor from 2015 to 2016 (two issues).