‘Speaking Yiddish to Chickens’ author talk set Jan. 23
The Lewes Public Library and Seaside Jewish Community will welcome author Seth Stern for an online conversation about his book, “Speaking Yiddish to Chickens: Holocaust Survivors on South Jersey Poultry Farms,” at 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 23, via Zoom.
“Did you know that after World War II, over 1,000 Jewish immigrants became chicken farmers in New Jersey?” said Enid Zafran, SJC book group leader. “Writing from oral histories collected from his own relatives as well as other settlers, Seth Stern paints for us a picture of what this rural life was like for these educated refugees, from lighthearted accounts of champion chickens to the struggles and challenges they faced.”
“Speaking Yiddish to Chickens” is the first book to chronicle this little-known chapter in American history when Eastern European Jewish refugees found an unlikely gateway to new lives on poultry farms in the U.S. Like refugees today, they embraced their new American identities and enriched the community where they settled, working hard in unfamiliar jobs for often meager returns. Stern’s account honors their remarkable stories of loss, renewal and perseverance in the most unexpected of settings.
Registration is required. To sign up and receive the Zoom link, go to lewes.lib.de.us or call 302-645-2733.
Stern is a legal journalist and editor at Bloomberg Industry Group. He co-authored “Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion” and is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School and Cornell University.
