AMHERST — The Yiddish Book Center will welcome Polish Jewish author and photographer Mikołaj Grynberg for an event on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. The program, “Jewish Poland Today: On Page and Screen,” will take place in person at the center’s Amherst campus and will also be available via livestream. This is one of only two U.S. appearances by Grynberg, and the only one on the East Coast.

Grynberg will be joined by his translator, Sean Gasper Bye, for a wide-ranging conversation about Jewish life in Poland today, the legacy of memory, and how the past and present continue to shape one another. The discussion will highlight Grynberg’s internationally acclaimed books, including I’d Like to Say Sorry, but There’s No One to Say Sorry To and Confidential. The evening will also include a book signing, with titles available for purchase.

“Poland holds a special place in Jewish history, but Grynberg’s works ask, what does Jewish life in Poland look like now?” said Rebecka McDougall, director of Communication and Marketing for the Yiddish Book Center. “This program offers our community the chance to hear directly from one of the most important voices in contemporary Polish Jewish culture.”

This event is presented in partnership with the Amesbury Chair in Polish Culture; the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies; and the Edwin C. Gentzler Translation Center at UMass Amherst, as well as the Jewish Studies departments at Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the Polish Cultural Institute.

For tickets and information, visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org or call (413) 256-4900.

AMHERST — The Yiddish Book Center will host its annual Melinda Rosenblatt Lecture on Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m., featuring Aaron Lansky, the center’s founder and longtime president. In what will be his final public talk as president, Lansky will reflect on the improbable beginnings of the center, its evolution over 45 years, and his hopes for the future under the direction of longtime executive director Susan Bronson.

The lecture will be followed by a celebratory reception. It is free and open to the public, with both in-person and livestream viewing options available. For more information and to register, visit yiddishbookcenter.org/rosenblatt.

Lansky founded the Yiddish Book Center in 1980, when he took what he thought would be a two-year leave of absence from graduate school to recover endangered Yiddish books. Through the years, the Yiddish Book Center has evolved into an internationally renowned cultural and educational center, sharing Yiddish language, literature, and culture with new audiences. Noteworthy initiatives include educational programs for learners of all ages, fellowship programs, an oral history project, a publishing imprint, and a textbook that has transformed Yiddish-language learning.

Lansky’s talk on June 8 will be a culmination of his decades of work building and leading the center and a chance to reflect on the journey with the community that has supported it.

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.

AMHERST — The Yiddish Book Center announced it has been awarded a capital grant in the amount of $100,000 from MassDevelopment and Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund. This grant will support the center’s crucial infrastructure project to replace its aging boilers and heating system.

Founded in 1980, the Yiddish Book Center has been preserving and promoting Yiddish language and culture for more than four decades. Located on a picturesque, 10-acre apple orchard adjacent to the Hampshire College campus in Amherst, the center opened its current facility in 1997.

The replacement of the original boilers, which have been in service since 1996, is essential to ensure the ongoing safety and functioning of the facility. The project will involve installing high-condensing, low-fire, energy-efficient boilers; updating piping, valves, and controls; and integrating the system with the existing geothermal HVAC controls. Additionally, the project will include the replacement of circulating pumps and pneumatic control systems with more efficient Ecocirc pumps, as well as the elimination of the compressor, reducing the need for regular service and inspections. The replacement of the boilers will significantly enhance energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and support the center’s ongoing efforts to maintain an environmentally responsible facility.

“We are immensely grateful to MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support of this project,” said Susan Bronson, executive director of the Yiddish Book Center. “Capital improvements and major maintenance projects pose significant challenges in terms of funding. It is not easy to raise funds for behind-the-scenes projects like boiler replacements. This grant will ensure the continued functionality and sustainability of our facility, allowing us to serve our community and fulfill our mission for years to come.”

Funded annually through the governor’s capital spending plan, this round of cultural facilities grants is supported by a $10 million capital bond appropriation approved in 2022. The Healey-Driscoll administration has also proposed a $10 million appropriation in its second supplemental budget to support an additional round of the program.