Because i am dyslexic. I always need a great motivation to read, especially if it is Yiddish or Hebrew. There must be some trauma in my past connected to Hebrew letters that I have never uncovered. But when i skimmed the Yiddish “Forward” and found an article that our future Secretary of State is the great grandson of a Yiddish writer, my curiousity and pride overcame my reluctance to read. Meyer Blinkin came from the Ukraine to the US as a masseur and wrote a number of stories – none of which are available in the Tel Aviv University Library but i could order from interlibrary loan from Jerusalem or Bahrain. I don’t even know yet whether anything has been translated so I suspect that Anthony Blinken has no idea of his heritage. Worth looking into, don’t you think? I suspect all Yiddish writing – especially in the twentieth century in New York – has a political basis. The preservation of a Yiddish heritage even as the new heritage of multicultural New York is embraced is in itself political. I love it and will look for his works.
November 25, 2020 – Meyer blinken Read Post »