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Read the review of Jews Without Yellow Stars: Jews Without Yellow Stars
I am a published and peer-reviewed professional translator specializing in the research and translation of Yiddish texts, newspaper articles and literature. I've worked on a wide range of Yiddish translation projects, and I have a special love for the older, 19th century to turn-of-the-century Yiddish literature and texts.
I'm pleased to announce the publication of my translation of Hersh Smolar's Yidn on gele lates ("Jews without Yellow Stars"), released by Ben Yehuda Press. It is released in both a single English-only volume and a bilingual Yiddish-English version. The introduction is written by the well-known historian and Yiddish scholar, Dr. Solon Beinfeld. A review by Dr. Barbara Epstein (The Minsk Ghetto 1941-1943) is on the back cover.
This book is a collection of actual and semi-fictional short stories centered around the Minsk ghetto and the surrounding Naliboki forest (although Smolar [Yiddish: Smoliar] never explicitly names any location). The stories begin with Jews intent on escaping the ghetto, and continues with those who did escape and were able to join up with Soviet partisan groups that would accept Jews--as long as they had weapons.
Smolar expertly juxtaposes these recounts against the backdrop of the Holocaust, with its depravation and horrific losses that every Jewish character has suffered. Yiddish readers will enjoy the versatility of Smolar's skilled, native Yiddish. The tales bring to light the tension between Soviet and Jewish partisans, particularly with the unit Soviet leadership.
I am very excited that both the bilingual and English-only versions also feature the testimony of Smolar's brother, Nosn, who died "a hero's death" in the Warsaw ghetto. The translation is taken directly from the handwritten manuscript that is part of the Ringelblum Archives, and is a rare chance for Yiddish students to work with handwritten material.
There is very little written about what transpired in Eastern Europe during its occupation by the Germans, and even less about the life of Jewish partisans within these Soviet units. Smolar was one of the founders of the Jewish underground in the Minsk ghetto and then a commissar in a Soviet partisan unit. Jews without Yellow Stars is a rare look at who some of these people were, and what their lives were like. Two of the stories feature Jewish female partisans - a rarity indeed in these units. Both these women were actual people who survived the war.
Smolar is mainly known for his political and journalistic writing: this text reveals his considerable skills as a story teller -- each of his tales is vivid and unforgettable. Students of Yiddish will enjoy reading an expert use of Yiddish that is highly descriptive, creative, and colorful.
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