Join Kultur Mercado, Der Nister, and the Southern California Arbeter Ring Educational Center for a special VIRTUAL event with Professor Saul Noam Zaritt, who will present and discuss his latest work, A Taytsh Manifesto.

In this groundbreaking study, Zaritt explores the rich and complex history of translation in Jewish literary tradition, focusing on how Yiddish thinkers have used the act of "taytshn"—once a term for interpreting sacred texts—to challenge linguistic, cultural, and political boundaries. Far from being a passive transmission of meaning, translation becomes, in Zaritt’s hands, a powerful tool of interpretation, resistance, and creativity.

The evening will include a presentation from Professor Zaritt followed by an open discussion. Together, we’ll explore how language shapes Jewish cultural memory, how translation acts as both a bridge and a rupture, and how Yiddish literature continues to offer insights into the politics of identity, diaspora, and belonging.

About the Author:
Saul Noam Zaritt is an Associate Professor of Yiddish Literature at Harvard University and a founding editor of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies. His scholarship focuses on Jewish literature, modernism, and translation studies, with a particular emphasis on Yiddish as a site of cultural and political expression. Zaritt’s work is widely published and recognized for its depth, innovation, and relevance to both academic and community conversations.