Book Group: First in 3-Part Series on Abraham Cahan

Best known as the founder of The Forward (Forverts), Abraham Cahan (1860-1951) came to America from Lithuania at age 22 already a Socialist and advocate for laborers. But his vision for the daily paper went beyond politics, as it was written in simple, colloquial Yiddish to be read by the growing Jewish immigrant population and to address their daily problems. Most famously, the Bintl Brief served as an advice column answering readers’ letters.

Cahan also wrote The Rise of David Levinsky (1917). The story—considered a masterpiece of Jewish-American fiction-- tells of a poor Jewish immigrant who pursues material success and assimilates into American capitalist society. His novella, Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto, was turned into the popular movie Hester Street.

The series will start with a Zoom talk by Professor Gennady Estraikh of New York University telling us the life and career of Abraham Cahan so we may meet and know more of this influential Jewish refugee. Professor Estraikh holds a PhD from Oxford University and worked at the Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies, and taught Yiddish language and culture at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies; since 2003 he has been on the faculty at NYU and has published numerous scholarly articles, both in English and Yiddish, on 20th century Yiddish culture.

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