Space Yiddish
A blog post by Director of Education Ilene Dackman-Alon. To read more posts by Ilene click here.
After a quiet summer at the JMM, we begin fall celebrating the Jewish New Year 5781, and celebrating the latest exhibit on display at the JMM- Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit. The exhibit details the Jewish people’s connection to the wonder of space. From ancient astronomers to today’s space scientists and astronauts, Jewish people have often exhibited an interest in “looking up”.
The exhibit provides insights and gives examples from ancient and medieval Judaism as to how astronomy was such an important part of religious practice. The exhibit features so many wonderful items like rare rabbinic writings on astronomy and works of science fiction written in Hebrew, Yiddish and German. The exhibit highlights Jewish scientists that were involved in space exploration, as well as pop culture and science fiction that was inspired by Jewish artists, writers, and comedians. The exhibit also has a Maryland twist to it- noting the strong ties that our state has to space exploration. The exhibit has something for everyone- if you are a science fiction enthusiast, a space explorer or like me, a history nerd- everyone will find something that they find special in the exhibit.
One my favorite images from the exhibit is the large panel that comes from a page from a textbook from Vilna in 1922. It is a colored page that includes a large circle with smaller images surrounding the circle. From first glance, the page is written using Hebrew letters. After looking more closely, you can distinguish that the page is written in Yiddish.
I wondered a little about the Jewish community in Vilna, also known as Vilnius, which was the capital city of Lithuania and considered to be the “Jerusalem of Lithuania”. In 1915, a Hebrew Gymnasia (secondary school) was established with an educational focus toward Yiddish language and culture. From 1918 to 1922, the gymnasia used both Russian and Yiddish as languages of instruction, but after 1922, the school operated exclusively in Yiddish. Following the war, other educational institutions were added that included kindergartens, schools, and other gymnasia affiliated with various movements within the Jewish community in Vilna.
I don’t speak Yiddish but I could recognize some of the images and read some of the Hebrew letters to read Yiddish words to try and make more meaning of the page. I also need to thank my husband Shay for helping me to translate the document.
As an educator, we encourage students to use the “Four Corners” method to analyze primary sources and images at the JMM. This type of analysis helps students to explore documents in sections to make comprehension easier and not be so overwhelmed by looking at the entire document at one time.
Here are some tips to help you decipher the page from the textbook – so you can have a better understanding of the document. Imagine dividing the page into sections and look at each of the following sections:
Top Left: an illustration of the planet Saturn and the word Saturn written in Yiddish.
Top Right: an illustration of the planet Mars and Mars written in Yiddish.
Center: an illustration with a large circle that represents the motion of the earth around the sun. The circle also shows the stars (constellations) in the Northern Sky.
Bottom Left: An illustration of the relative size of the sun and planets and their names in Yiddish. (No Pluto)
Bottom Right: an illustration of the phases of the moon.
Left Middle: an illustration of a lunar Eclipse
Right Middle: an illustration of a solar Eclipse
The JMM is open and you can make a reservation to come see Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit now. The Museum is following social distancing procedures and we are selling advanced reserved tickets for designated timeslots. Buy tickets online here!
If you have further questions about visiting the JMM, please contact Talia Makowsky, Visitors Services Coordinator at tmakowsky@jewishmuseummmd.org.