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Worldmaking in Action: How Children's Literature Imagined Jewish Futures
- Pacific Time Virtual Program
$72.00
Between 1900 and 1950, nearly a thousand Yiddish children's books appeared across four continents: chickens learning Yiddish, children with magical powers, a democracy-loving mutt. In this four-session course, National Jewish Book Award-winner Miriam Udel explores these "blueprints" for modern Jewish life.
These weren't just entertaining stories; they carried competing visions from socialism to Zionism, cultural revival to secular nationalism. Together, we will examine how Yiddish writers used children's literature to help young readers imagine worlds of dignity, justice, and joy amid massive upheaval. These texts reveal deep tensions between the Jewish past and imagined Jewish futures, between rootedness and migration, and between collective belonging and individual freedom. What emerges is a vibrant picture of how Jewish thinkers crafted symbolic worlds when the future itself seemed uncertain.
Who this is for: Anyone curious about the intersection of Yiddish culture and history, and interested in exploring how literature shaped Jewish identity and social justice for the next generation.
What you’ll leave with: A deeper understanding of how Yiddish children’s stories served as a laboratory for Jewish political movements and new insights into how these "imagined futures" continue to influence Jewish education today.
Four Wednesdays: March 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 6–7:30pm Pacific
IMPORTANT NOTE: Zoom link/details will be emailed to you once you complete registration, one week before your program AND the day before. Please keep this information in a location easy to find.
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