“In dem land fun piramidn: Passover in Yiddish Culture, Literature, and Politics” presented by Jacob Giner (Multi-access Tish)

“In dem land fun piramidn: Passover in Yiddish Culture, Literature, and Politics” presented by Jacob Giner

You’re reading this on the website of a synagogue. That means that Judaism as a religion, culture, or – in true Reconstructionist fashion – a civilization means something to you. The rhythms of Shabbos, the yom-toyvim, and the wider Jewish calendar, the luekh, affect your life. Somewhat counterintuitively, these observances were similarly vital for an entire 20th-century secular Jewish social milieu, comprised of many hundreds of thousands of Ashkenazim who believed fiercely in radical politics and forms of Jewish nationalism that have little to do with religion as we understand it. In this tish, we will explore the use-cases of Passover in Yiddish(ist) Jewish education, literature, and culture, and take der yontef Peysekh as a jumping-off point for a broader reflection on alternative ways of being Jewish and the generative potential of discomfort with tradition.