Haus für Poesie

Lection & Talk

Berlin has been an important center of Yiddish culture for over 100 years, with a vibrant contemporary scene that is increasingly prominent. At this event, we welcome five Berlin-based artists who write, sing, and perform in Yiddish. Yael Merlini (born in 1968 in Italy) holds a doctorate in semitic linguistics from the University of Florence and has been publishing poetry in Yiddish, Italian, and English since the 1990s— most recently in the anthology Yours, Yehuda (Königshausen & Neumann 2024). Jake Schneider (born in 1988 in the USA) is a translator, former editor-in-chief of the English-language literary magazine SAND, and author. He writes poetry in Yiddish and essays in English. His poems have appeared in Afn Shvel and Yiddishland. Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson (born 1984 in Russia) is a visual artist who works with cultural fluidity. Her practice includes large-scale calligraphic murals of Yiddish poetry in public spaces, such as the project Present Figures (2021), based on texts by Yiddish poet Debora Vogel. Accordionist Patrick Farrell and singer Sveta Kundish are stars in the klezmer and new Yiddish music scene, regularly performing throughout Europe. Together they have set many Yiddish poets of the 20th and 21st centuries to music. They released their first album Nem mayn vort (Danzone) in 2022.

This event is in Yiddish and English (translations will be on-hand).

Poets: Yael Merlini | Jake Schneider
Live Music: Sveta Kundish & Patrick Farrell
Visual Art Performance: Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson
Moderation & Curation: Jordan Lee Schnee

Location:
Haus für Poesie
Kulturbrauerei

Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin

Entrance fee:
6/4 €

Tickets online