May 2023

In today’s era of “cancel culture” and book bannings, we must look to history for learning and inspiration. During the nineteenth twentieth centuries, many European languages and literatures came under attack. Lithuanian was suppressed by Russian and later Soviet occupiers. Yiddish was virtually eradicated from European soil when most of its speakers, East European Jews, were murdered during the Holocaust.

Maryte Racys and Rachel Mines, members of the Lithuanian Community of BC, will give paired readings of two authors they have translated: Julija Žymantienė (popularly known as Žemaitė), a Lithuanian author, feminist, and champion of workers’ rights; and Jonah Rosenfeld, a Ukraine-born, self-educated writer of Yiddish short fiction. Both authors were known during and after their lifetimes for their support of disenfranchised people and also for the fine literary quality of their writings.

Profits from book sales will go the Maple Hope Foundation, which provides medical support and other assistance to Ukraine (https://www.maplehopefoundation.org ).

From the Ashes: Two Endangered European Languages in Translation

Where: Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver. Free parking available.

When: Friday, June 9, 2023

• 6:00 pm – You are invited to view the exhibit “Amplified Voices: Artists with Disabilities”
• 7:00 pm – Book talks commence
• 8:15 pm – Reception/refreshments

We welcome you to a literary reading featuring two authors and champions of women, workers, and languages: Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė), who wrote in Lithuanian, and Jonah Rosenfeld, a Ukrainian-born writer of Yiddish fiction.

Click here to register for this event.