The essays gathered in this volume convey their author’s extraordinary energy and passionate commitment to the continuity of Yiddish language and culture. Written in a Yiddish that is lucid and witty, they highlight the importance of her lifelong work in the field of Yiddish and beat with the heart of a contemporary, living language.

— Kathryn Hellerstein, Professor of Yiddish and Director of
— Jewish Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania

This collection of articles by Sheva Zucker spans some four decades of her writing for Afn Shvel, from the 1980s through 2020. The majority of the essays are from the fifteen years, 2005-2020, during which she served as editor-in-chief of Afn Shvel, the all-Yiddish magazine published by the League for Yiddish.

The author writes with passion, insight and humor on a variety of topics relating to Yiddish literature and culture. The essays are arranged in six sections:
I. Personal Essays
II. From the Editor
III. Regarding the Past and Present of Our Organization
IV. From my Cultural World
V. Personalities
VI. Interviews

Highlights include articles on contemporary Yiddish writers such as Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Yonia Fain and Yechiel Shraibman, a description of a trip to Birobidzhan, the Jewish Autonomous Region in the Former Soviet Union, and a deeply personal essay on the history and heritage of the secular Yiddish school movement. Readers interested in the history of the League for Yiddish and its predecessor, the Freeland League for Jewish Territorial Colonization, as well as their magazine Afn Shvel, will find quite a few articles of particular interest.

The introduction is written by Yiddish literary scholar Kathryn Hellerstein. The articles were reproduced from the magazine itself and feature the beautiful design of art director Yankl Salant. All articles are in Yiddish; the author’s preface and Hellerstein’s introduction appear in both Yiddish and English.

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