Page 26 - Jewish News_December 2021

26A December 2021 JEWISH INTEREST

SatURDAY, December 18 The Yiddish Book Center

By Joel Kreiss
7am-1pm
y grandfather, my moth-
could. He was a 23-year-old grad
er’s father, must have
Mbeen a very religious
came aware of the dearth of texts
man. He had to be since he read He- student studying Yiddish and be-
available. What started out as an
brew daily. I became aware of this attempt to supplement the meager
when grandpa moved in with us af- supply of books, grew into an av-
ter being thrown out of his home by alanche that continues to this day.
It’s a wonderful story that I highly
“Esther the Refugee.” That is what
Come we called her since we never knew recommend. I also recommend a
visit to the Yiddish Book Center in
her last name before she enticed
Amherst, Massachusetts, where the
grandpa into the arena of wedded
Visit Us! bliss. I think that lasted for a very collection now lives.
This September, while spending
brief time, and then he showed up
Rosh Hashanah with my son and
on our doorstep with hat in hand, a

One of my tasks during the time
Center and was moved beyond my
at the valise and a copy of the Forverts. family, I visited the Yiddish Book
he lived with us was to go “around ability to fully convey. The facility
the corner” and get the latest copy was nothing like I could have imag-
of the Forverts and The Day. To this ined, not in its grandeur, but in its
A favorite pastime of 10-year-old, the let-
visitors, snowbirds and ters were Hebrew and
long-timers alike is strolling he was doing his dai-
the Sarasota Farmer’s Market in ly prayers and study.
downtown Sarasota each Saturday. When, in later years, I
mentioned this to my
We hope you will come say, “Shalom!” Aunt Gert, his young-
to The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee est daughter, she start-
as we exhibit for the first time this season! ed to laugh. “Are you

JFED BOOTH AT THE SARASOTA FARMERS MARKET kidding? His way of
Located at the intersection of Lemon Ave. and Main St. spending the High Main floor of the Yiddish Book Center
Holidays was at the burlesque,” she elegant simplicity. There are rooms
To view a market map, go to said. So ended that chapter of my for study, a small intimate theatre for
SarasotaFarmersMarket.org religious ancestor. lectures and performances, and the
Yiddish was spoken at my home, main floor with stacks of volumes
as in many homes of my generation, of Yiddish books, some almost new
so the children, kinder, would not looking, and others, with worn and
understand. “Shtil di kinder” would frayed spines, indicative of the lov-
be the first idiom we learned, and ing hands that held them, on display
HELP...
HELP... as years went on, we added a few and available to the visitor to touch,
read and remember. You can learn
more, but not enough to become
fluent in this most romantic and
more at yiddishbookcenter.org.
The trip is more than a trip. It is
i s a expressive language. A few of my a pilgrimage to the lost world of our
is a
friends now recall Yiddish as their
first language, but sadly, after years
forefathers, and one that was lost
phone of non-use, have forgotten most of due to the madness of one individ-
phone
ual and his ability to get others to
it.
call
call Aaron Lansky, Outwitting History, forget their humanity and follow in
Years ago, I read a book by
his insanity.
away
a wa y about his mission to find and res- Joel Kreiss is a past president of the
Jewish Congregation of Venice.
cue as many Yiddish books as he
Hebrew School in Shanghai

In partnership with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and during World War II
the generosity of our donors, JFCS of the Suncoast is able to offer By Sigmund Tobias
the following services at no cost to anyone in the sther Rose, a friend of mine, re- in Shanghai. The sign we are holding
Jewish community regardless of age: cently found a surprising story indicates in Hebrew that we are the
Eand photo about the Mir Yeshi- “small yeshiva” in Shanghai. Most of
• A friendly voice va on the internet (timesofisrael.com/ the young men in the photo eventual-

• Counseling Get the after-intervention-son-of-wwii-japa- ly found their way to the United States
nese-envoy-who-rescued-jews-gets-is-
after the war.
• Caregiver support assistance rael-visa/) that included me when I was The sad part about the photo is
• Bereavement support groups about 10 years old. that, I, at age 89, may be the only one
The yeshiva fled from Poland and
in the group still alive to tell the story.
• Pastoral care you need! eventually settled in Shanghai during Sigmund Tobias is a university profes-
• Delivered meals the World War II era in a community sor who has retired in Sarasota.
• Temporary financial assistance of approximately 20,000 Jews who
survived the Holocaust by fleeing to
Shanghai.
If you are in need of The photo at right (courtesy of
assistance, don’t hesitate the Bagley Family), which I had nev-
to call JFCS at er seen before, was taken in the early
941-366-2224 1940s and shows me (third from the
left in the first row) and a group of
extension 112. other boys who were attending He-
brew school in front of our synagogue