CONTRIBUTOR

Hershl Hartman

Sholem Community

With dual degrees in Jewish Education and Yiddish Journalism (School for Higher Jewish Education — hekhere kursn, JPFO-IWO, 1947), Hershl was the first U.S.-born Yiddish reporter (for the Morgn frayhayt — Morning Freedom, 1947-1951). He was Principal of the Center Island Jewish School in Freeport, Long Island, NY (1957-1962) and, since 1967, Principal and Education Director of The Sholem Community and Sunday School, Los Angeles, CA. His translations include Itsik Manger’s Megile lider, scores of works by Soviet Yiddish poets—including the translations on the CD “City of Tomorrow," the autobiography of poet-journalist Moyshe Szklar and the recently-published graphic novel, A Minyen Yidn (un andere zakhn) (Max B Perlson and Trina Robbins, Bedside Press, 2017), as well as a handwritten notebook by Nobelist I. B. Singer and hundreds of Yiddish letters. He insists that Yiddish poetry must be translated in rhyme, where possible, and always in meter so that English readers can truly appreciate the genius of their authors.

RELATED ARTICLES

Texts & Translation

פֿון מגילה לידער

Excerpts from Itsik Manger’s Megile Lider (Megillah Poems)

Itzik Manger

Translation by Hershl Hartman

The Book of Esther as reimagined by Itsik Manger 

Texts & Translation

רויך

Smoke

Jacob Glatstein

Translation by Hershl Hartman

A standalone poem by Jacob Glatstein

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