In 1980, 24-year-old graduate student Aaron Lansky launched the Yiddish Book Center to save family libraries that were being discarded by non–Yiddish-speaking American Jews. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, beside the Hampshire College campus, the center has since rescued more than 1.5 million Yiddish-language volumes—ranging from mysteries and memoirs to poetry and drama. In recognition of its cultural impact, the center was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2014.
The Yiddish Book Center also maintains the Wexler Oral History Program, which now contains over 450 recorded interviews that document Yiddish culture and contemporary Jewish identity. The center organizes an ongoing schedule of lectures, readings, film screenings and community events. On March 8 at 2 p.m., the center will screen Hungry Hearts, an 80-minute black-and-white film adapted from the short stories of Anzia Yezierska, one of the first writers to portray the lives of American Jewish women.
Guided tours are offered regularly: Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Private or group visits at other times can be arranged by contacting the center in advance. The Yiddish Book Center continues to serve as a vibrant resource for scholars, readers and anyone interested in preserving and exploring Yiddish literature and Jewish cultural history.