Kirsten Mishkin Introduces Great Uncle Noach Mishkowsky: his autobiography

Join us at Havurah Vatik for another daunting journey: that of Noach Mishkowsky, whose autobiography, Mayn Lebn un Mayne Rayzes, inspired great niece Kirsten Mishkin to tackle the translation of the 700 page, two volume account of his fascinating life, travels, and times, beginning in Mir, Belarus, continuing in Warsaw with his ties to socialism and to the great Yiddish writers, including Peretz and Asch. She will describe Noach's fury at the oppression of the Jews in the Russian Empire; his experiences in the Russian army and with Russian antisemitism; his political activism, imprisonment, and eventual release and immigration to the United States,from whence he traveled all over Asia, Africa, and Palestine.; . 

Kirsten has translated about a quarter of this magnum opus, working on it as she has studied Yiddish at Temple Sinai, first with Rabbi Linda Motzkin, and now in an informal, persistent Yiddish group. She will share a bisl Yiddish (for flavoring) as well drawing on her translation. She describes her uncle's writing as "vivid, detailed, and very personal."

Kirsten is a member of Temple Sinai and is retired as administrator of Skidmore College's University without Walls. She now lives in the Adirondacks with her husband Roy Ginsburg. 

A delicious catered lunch follows the program ~ We need your RSVP by April 10th ~ RSVP to havurahvatik@gmail.com.