We are delighted to welcome Alan Dein in conversation with Vivi Lachs for a book launch of East End Jews, with conversation, readings and music.
East End Jews offers an unparalleled view into the life, labour, politics and joys of London's Jewish East End, from its heyday in the 1890s until the 1950s.
Drawing from the light feuilleton column in the London Yiddish press, these deceptively accessible, often humorous sketches capture incisive and sometimes cheeky encounters with challenges and debates of the time.
They highlight the complex interactions between Jewish immigrants and their British surroundings, from celebrating a new Torah scroll to enlisting in the British army during World War I without citizenship. Sketches take readers on a journey through local tradition and significant social change, tracing the ideas and events that impacted the community.
Translated by Vivi Lachs and Bary Smerin, with introductions by Vivi. Readings by David Schneider. Music from the Klezmer Brass Trio.
“Hilarious, tragic, and poignant in turn, these feuilletons richly evoke everyday life like no other source” – Tony Kushner, University of Southampton
“Insightful, often irreverent, sometimes startlingly prophetic” – Julian Levinson, University of Michigan