Reflections on YIVO’s 2018 Literary Tour of Jewish Galicia

by EDDY PORTNOY

YIVO’s newest tour was an exciting trip to the heart of Jewish Galicia, the areas of Poland and Ukraine that were once home to large, vibrant Jewish communities. Historian and scholar Sam Kassow led participants through the history of Jewish life in Galicia, and gave a closer look at the literary lives of many major writers in their places of birth.

Touring the towns, the remaining synagogues, and the cemeteries of these locales was not only edifying, but the literary readings that we did in the very places that these great literary works were created was incredibly meaningful. Hearing the words of “Monish,” the first poem written by the classic Yiddish writer, Y.L. Peretz, in the synagogue in his hometown of Zamość was very moving.

Equally as dramatic were readings of Bruno Schulz in Drohobych and Nobel prize-winning Shmuel Yosef Agnon in Buczacz, as well as in Chernivtsi, where we read and discussed the works of Paul Celan, Aaron Applefeld, Rosa Auslander, Itzik Manger, and Dan Pagis. The Jewish literature of the region is a rich tapestry that exists in multiple languages—Yiddish, Polish, German, and Hebrew—and is one that reflects the time and place in which it was created. To experience the literature in its birthplace brought new dimension to its meaning.

We also visited Vyzhnytsia, an important Hasidic center. There we read Tales of the Baal Shem Tov next to the running brook thought to have served as his mikveh. Lastly, we stopped in Lviv, a small metropolis that was once home to about 150,000 Jews and a vibrant cultural life. Numerous rabbis, writers, and historians walked its streets. To see what once was, the rich cultural lives of the Jews of Galicia and the wealth of literature they produced, was an unforgettable experience.

14 people joined YIVO’s inaugural Literary Tour of Jewish Life in Galicia, which took place May 17-25. The tour was led by noted historian Dr. Samuel Kassow and Dr. Eddy Portnoy, Academic Advisor & Exhibitions Curator at YIVO. Irene Pletka, Vice-Chair of the YIVO Board of Directors, chaired the trip.