Yiddish’s ‘revival’ points to its resilience as a portable homeland – and a global reach, from Russia to Mexico to the US

Many Americans associate Yiddish strictly with Eastern Europe. But its horizons are much broader than that, especially amid today’s revival.

By: Ilan Stavans, Amherst College, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 31, 2026

Words: 1,266

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Ilan Stavans, Amherst College

I grew up in Mexico City, and when people find out that one of my native languages is Yiddish, they think I am pulling their leg. Isn’t that a Jewish language? Mexico? Impossible. Maybe you should write a science fiction novel that imagines Yiddish on Mars.

Actually, there is one already. In the 1950s, Ukrainian Argentine writer Velvl Tshernovetski published “Erev der Ferter Velt-Milkhome: Hines, di Kenign fun Mars,” which …

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