Many years ago there was a PEN chapter in Israel.  It disappeared along with the Federation of Writers’ Unions in Israel about 30 years ago when the government stopped funding over bad management, but since then I’ve been involved in at least 2 attempts to get ourselves together and apply for membership – but both times people weren’t willing to put in the time and effort demanded.  And how to get all these divergent people and languages in this country together.  And who needs all the complicated politics anyway.  Way back in 1997 I edited an issue of the journal, PEN Israel in English, and there were entries from Arabic, Russian, Yiddish, and of course Hebrew.  But now it would be much more problematic  – we’ve grown further apart.

The new international effort of PEN Yiddish, however, is a different story.  Because it involves a language not a country, it can bring a newly revitalized language to the fore.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with it.