Aaron Lansky of the Yiddish Book Center Announces Retirement

AMHERST — Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center, announced he plans to retire in June 2025.

Lansky founded the Yiddish Book Center in 1980 as a 24-year-old graduate student, and since then, the organization has rescued more than 1.5 million Yiddish books, created educational programs that bring the language and culture to new audiences, documented the oral histories of more than 1,300 narrators, created a publishing imprint devoted to Yiddish translation, and much more.

Susan Bronson, who has been the center’s executive director for 14 years and holds a doctorate in Russian and Jewish history, will succeed Lansky as president.