Miriam ("Mimi") Erlich

Miriam (“Mimi”) Erlich (1940–2021), the great-granddaughter of Simon Dubnov, was born in Lithuania and was brought by her parents to the US that same year. She was a devoted elementary school teacher much beloved by her students. She famously once boarded a Manhattan bus whose driver had been one of her students; he recognized her and refused to take any fare. She was also a gifted classical pianist and a member of numerous chamber groups. A native speaker of Yiddish, she always identified as a Bundist and promoted its ideals. For more information about the Dubnov and Erlich families, see Mimi’s interview with the National Yiddish Book Center.