Tal Hever-Chybowski: The Past and Present of the Yiddishist Movement

Organized by the Department for the Study of Modern Czech Philosophy

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The Past and Present of the Yiddishist Movement

A talk by Tal Hever-Chybowski

From the series Jewishness Otherwise. Part 3. 

In this talk, Tal Hever-Chybowski explores the evolution of the Yiddishist movement, with a focus on how the meaning of the term “Yiddishist” has transformed over time. He will also delve into the complex relationships between Yiddishism and parallel cultural movements such as Hebraism and Zionism, examining how these movements have intersected and diverged throughout history. He will conclude with reflections on the contemporary relevance of the debates that have accompanied these movements over the longue durée.

Writer, translator, and director Tal Hever-Chybowski grew up in Jerusalem before moving to Berlin to study at Humboldt University. In 2014 he relocated to Paris in 2014 to lead the Maison de la culture yiddish – Bibliothèque Medem. In 2016, he launched Mikan Ve'eylakh: Journal for Diasporic Hebrew. He is also a founder of Yiddish in Berlin: Summer Program for Yiddish Language and Literature. In 2021, he directed the Yiddish play Jacob Jacobson at the Théâtre de l’Opprimé in Paris. In January 2024 he published the poem “Khurbn Aze” (“The Destruction of Gaza”).

The discussion series “Jewishness Otherwise” looks beyond received understandings of Jewishness, exploring the multiple ways of connecting Jewish thought and historical experience to the possibilities of human emancipation. This event will be held in English. Future events will alternate between English and Czech. Organized with the support of the Strategie AV 21 research program, “Identities in a World of Wars and Crises.”