A major but little-understood tribe of East European Jews, the Litvaks hail from a territory of northeastern Europe that today includes Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, parts of northeast Poland, eastern Ukraine and some snippets of westernmost Russia.
Known for their unique dialect of Yiddish and (Ashkenazic) Hebrew, as well as for their alleged stubbornness, love of learning, lack of patience with the presumably unsubstantial, and at times humorlessness and eccentric streak, the Litvak ethos lurks in many of today’s Jewish people internationally.
in this talk, Prof. Dovid Katz will offer a survey of Litvak history, lore and cultural trends (and wars) from the fourteenth century ranging to predictions about the later twenty-first century. Questions and comments will be most welcome. The speaker promises to devote some (sympathetic) time to non-Litvaks, especially Galitsyáner, too.
New York City, NY; NYC