Modern Jewish Worldmaking: Miriam Udel on the Transformative Power of Yiddish Children’s Literature

Join us for this special event with author Miriam Udel, who will discuss her forthcoming book Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children’s Literature (Princeton University Press; October 14, 2025). In this groundbreaking work, Udel uncovers the neglected yet profoundly important archive of Yiddish children’s stories, poems, and books written during the twentieth century. These works reimagined Jewish life in the face of migration, antisemitic violence, and the transformations of modernity—encouraging young readers to embrace values of justice, empathy, equality, and curiosity. Written in an accessible and deeply humane way, the book reframes Jewish modernity through the lens of childhood and demonstrates how these forgotten works continue to resonate powerfully today.

Miriam Udel is the Judith London Evans Director of the Tam Institute of Jewish Studies and associate professor of Yiddish language, literature, and culture at Emory University. A leading scholar of Jewish children’s literature, she holds an AB in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and a PhD in Comparative Literature from Harvard University. Udel is also a rabbi, accomplished speaker, and mother, bringing a uniquely multifaceted perspective to her research, writing, and teaching.

Join us onsite or online on November 6 at 7:00 p.m. Register to join us. Contact cajl@tisrael.org with questions.