Registration opens:
September 28th, 2026

Between Two Worlds

A Jewish Refugee in New York: Discussion and Journal Making

Discuss Kadya Molodovsky's book and the imporance of writing your story as you create your own journal.

Pick up your copy of A Jewish Refugee in New York and register for the program at the Adult and Teen Services Desk starting September 28. Discuss the book on October 28 and make your own journal to write out your story.

"Rivke Zilberg, a 20-year-old Jewish woman, arrives in New York shortly after the Nazi invasion of Poland, her home country. Struggling to learn a new language and cope with a different way of life in the United States, Rivke finds herself keeping a journal about the challenges and opportunities of this new land. In her attempt to find a new life as a Jewish immigrant in the US, Rivke shares the stories of losing her mother to a bombing in Lublin, jilting a fiancé who has made his way to Palestine, and a flirtatious relationship with an American "allrightnik."

In this fictionalized journal originally published in Yiddish, author Kadya Molodovsy provides keen insight into the day-to-day activities of the large immigrant Jewish community of New York. By depicting one woman's struggles as a Jewish refugee in the US during WWII, Molodovsky points readers to the social, political, and cultural tensions of that time and place." -Provided by the Yiddish Book Center

Submit a request for a program accommodation. Learn more about accommodations and accessibility at DGPL.

Deepen your understanding of Yiddish literature and Jewish life, religion, and culture through DGPL and the Yiddish Book Center: Public Libraries Program. The library is honored to have been chosen, along with 38 other libraries, to participate in this year's program: Between Two Worlds: Exploring Jewish Culture and Religion through Yiddish Literature. Join us throughout September and October to learn about the incredible diversity in religions, cultures, and identities throughout the community. 

This program is in partnership with the Yiddish Book Center and the American Library Association, and is made possible thanks to a generous grant form the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

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