Many of us—me included—are fascinated by Yiddish. For the past few years, I’ve celebrated that fascination with a recurring bit I call “Funny Yiddish Things My Bubbe Would Say,” a love letter to the language’s mysticism, humor and bite. But beyond the sayings is a world of Yiddish books, poetry and newspapers—many long buried in archives. Now, a new platform from the Yiddish Book Center is making it all searchable, including rare titles tied to St. Louis Jewish history.
A searchable Yiddish library
After nearly a decade of development, the Yiddish Book Center and its partners have launched the Universal Yiddish Library (UYL), bringing more than 60,000 Yiddish book records under one searchable roof. It’s a collaboration between the Yiddish Book Center, the National Library of Israel, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the New York Public Library.
“This collaboration ensures we’re not duplicating efforts and can focus our resources on what matters most: safeguarding what hasn’t yet been digitized,” said Amber Kanner Clooney, director of web development at the Yiddish Book Center and project lead.
Nearly 20,000 of the books are already digitized and more than 18,000 are fully searchable through OCR (optical character recognition), making this the largest searchable digital collection of Yiddish books ever created.
From near extinction to global access
The project was first envisioned by Yiddish Book Center founder Aaron Lansky and Oren Weinberg of the National Library of Israel.
“Forty-five years ago, when the Yiddish Book Center began, many believed that Yiddish literature was on the brink of extinction,” Lansky said. “Now thanks to new technology—and a new spirit of collaboration—Yiddish is well on its way to becoming the most accessible literature on earth.”
The platform also helps identify unique titles, guiding future digitization efforts.
A St. Louis legacy, rediscovered
St. Louis has a rich, if sometimes overlooked, Yiddish press history. Among the earliest and most notable was Der Yidisher Rekord (The Jewish Record), a Yiddish-language newspaper that served the city’s immigrant population in the early 20th century. The Universal Yiddish Library includes a digitized 13th-anniversary volume from 1926, preserved by the National Library of Israel—a rare glimpse into the era’s local Jewish life.
According to Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Robert A. Cohn other historic titles included The Jewish Voice (launched in 1888, rooted in Reform Judaism) and The Modern View, an English-language weekly known for its elegant design and in-depth coverage. Together, they captured a changing Jewish identity in the city.
How to get involved
The Universal Yiddish Library isn’t just for scholars or native speakers. Rebecka McDougall, the Center’s communications director, says it’s a resource for libraries, synagogues and schools seeking to expand Jewish cultural programming.
“We’re always looking to partner with educators and institutions interested in sharing this literature with broader audiences,” McDougall said.
And for the Yiddish-curious? The Yiddish Book Center offers translated books, podcasts, virtual events and classes.
“There’s something powerful about seeing how Yiddish literature has gone from being nearly lost to becoming one of the most accessible literary traditions in the world,” she said. “It’s a legacy that belongs to all of us.”
