Bad Rabbi and Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press
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Book Launch
Admission: Free |
An underground history of downwardly mobile Jews, Bad Rabbi mines the Yiddish press to expose the seamy underbelly of pre-WWII New York and Warsaw, the two major centers of Yiddish culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One part Isaac Bashevis Singer, one part Jerry Springer, this irreverent, unvarnished, and frequently hilarious compendium of stories provides a window into an unknown Yiddish world that was. Join us at YIVO for the launch of this new book by YIVO’s own Eddy Portnoy, in conversation with Alana Newhouse and Luc Sante.
Pizza party to follow, with beer sponsored by Sixpoint Brewery. YIVO pint glasses will be on sale.
About the Speaker
Eddy Portnoy received his Ph.D. from the Jewish Theological Seminary. A specialist in Jewish popular culture, he has published in numerous academic journals and also in The Forward and in Tablet Magazine. He currently serves as Academic Advisor for the Max Weinreich Center and Exhibition Curator at the YIVO.
Alana Newhouse is Editor-in-Chief of Tablet Magazine.
Luc Sante's books include Low Life, Evidence, The Factory of Facts, Kill All Your Darlings, and The Other Paris. He teaches at Bard College.
