Kadia Molodowsky (; also: Kadya Molodowsky; May 10, 1894, in Bereza Kartuska, now Byaroza, Belarus – March 23, 1975, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) was a Polish-American poet and writer in the

Yiddish language Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

, and a teacher of Yiddish and Hebrew. She published six collections of poetry during her lifetime, and was a widely recognized figure in Yiddish poetry during the twentieth century.Kadya Molodowsky (1894-1975)
" ''Jewish Heritage Online Magazine''. Excerpt from: Kathryn Hellerstein, "Introduction," in ''Paper Bridges: Selected Poems of Kadya Molodowsky'' (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1999). Retrieved 2016-04-16.Hellerstein, Kathryn (20 March 2009).
Kadya Molodowsky
" ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''. The Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved from www.jwa.org 2016-04-16. Molodowsky first came to prominence as a poet and intellectual in the Yiddish literary world while living in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, in the newly independent Poland, during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

.Klepfisz, Irena (1994). "Di Mames, dos Loshn / the Mothers, the Language: Feminism, Yidishkayt, and the Politics of Memory." ''Bridges''. Vol. 4, no. 1, p. 12–47; here: p. 34.Braun, Alisa (2000). "(Re)Constructing the Tradition of Yiddish Women's Poetry." Review of ''Paper Bridges: Selected Poems of Kadya Molodowsky'', by Moldowsky and Kathryn Hellerstein. ''Prooftexts''. Vol. 20, no. 3, p. 372-379; here: p. 372. Some of her more playful poems and stories were set to music and sung in Yiddish schools throughout the world. She was also known for novels, dramas, and short stories. In 1935 she emigrated to the United States, where she continued publishing works in Yiddish. She also went on to found and edit two international Yiddish literary journals, היים ''Heym'' (Home) and סבֿיבֿה ''Svive'' (Milieu).Hellerstein, Kathryn (2 September 2010).
Molodowsky, Kadia
" ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe''. Retrieved 2016-04-16.Hellerstein, Kathryn (2003).
Kadya Molodowsky
" In: S. Lillian Kremer (Ed.), ''Holocaust Literature''. Vol. 2. New York: Routledge. p. 869-873; here: p. 870.

Biography

Born in the

shtetl or ( ; , ; Grammatical number#Overview, pl. ''shtetelekh'') is a Yiddish term for small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish populations which Eastern European Jewry, existed in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. The t ...

of Byaroza-Kartuskaya (now Byaroza), in the

Grodno Governorate Grodno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Grodno. It encompassed in area and consisted of a population of 1,603,409 inhabitants by 1897. Gro ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(present-day

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

), Molodowsky was educated at home in both religious and secular subjects. While her father, a teacher in a traditional Jewish elementary school (

cheder A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th century. L ...

), instructed her in the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, her paternal grandmother taught her Yiddish; with private tutors she studied secular subjects in Russian, including geography, philosophy, and world history. Molodowsky's mother ran a dry goods store and, later, a factory for making rye

kvass Kvass is a fermented, cereal-based, low-alcoholic beverage of cloudy appearance and sweet-sour taste. Kvass originates from northeastern Europe, where grain production was considered insufficient for beer to become a daily drink. The first wr ...

. Molodowsky finished high school at 17 years of age. After then obtaining her teaching certificate in Byaroza, she studied Hebrew pedagogy under Yehiel Halperin in

, in 1913–1914, and, in the latter part of that period, instructed children there who had been displaced during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1916, she followed Halperin to

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, where he had moved his course to escape the war front. In Odessa, Molodowsky taught kindergarten and elementary school. In 1917, upon attempting to return to her hometown, she was trapped in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, where she remained for several years; she lived through the

pogroms A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century attacks on Jews i ...

that occurred there in 1919. While living in Kiev, Molodowsky was influenced by the Yiddish literary circle around

David Bergelson David (or Dovid) Bergelson (, , 12 August 1884 – 12 August 1952) was a Yiddish language writer born in the Russian Empire. He lived for a time in Berlin, Germany, before moving to the Soviet Union following the Nazi rise to power in Germany. He ...

,Frieden, Ken.
Yiddish literature
" Section: "'Modern Yiddish Literature: Yiddish Women Writers." ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2016-04-16. and, in 1920, published her first poems, in the Yiddish journal ''Eygns'' (Our Own). In 1921, she married the scholar and journalist Simcha Lev, and together they settled in Warsaw, now in independent

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. In Warsaw, Molodowsky published her first book of poetry, ' (''Nights of

Heshvan Marcheshvan (Hebrew: , Standard , Tiberian ; from Akkadian , literally, 'eighth month'), generally shortened to Cheshvan (, Standard Tiberian ), is the second month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei), and the eighth month of the ec ...

''), in 1927, followed by several others, including ''Dzshike gas'' (Dzshike Street), in 1933. Throughout her years in Warsaw she taught Yiddish in secular elementary schools run by the Central Yiddish School Organization (Tsentrale Yidishe Shul-Organizatsye; TSYSHO); she also taught Hebrew in the evenings at a Jewish community school. Molodowsky emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1935 and settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where her husband joined her not long after. Among her works in the post-World War II period, she is especially noted for her collection ' (''Only King David Remained''; 1946), poems written in response to the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, including one of her best known poems, "Eyl Khanun" (''Merciful God''), composed in 1945. From 1949 to 1952 Molodowsky and her husband lived in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, in the new state of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, where she edited the Yiddish journal ''Di Heym'' (Home), published by the Working Women's Council (Moetzet Hapoalot). In late 1952, Molodowsky resigned her editorship of ''Heym'', and she and her husband returned to New York. Back in 1943, Molodowsky had co-founded the Yiddish journal, ' (''Milieu''), in New York, publishing seven issues through 1944; around 1960 she revived the journal (under the same title) and continued to edit it until near the time of her death. Her autobiography, ''Fun Mayn Elter-zeydns Yerushe'' (From my great-grandfather’s inheritance), appeared in serialized form in ''Svive'' from March 1965 to April 1974. In 1971, Molodowsky received the

Itzik Manger Prize The Itzik Manger Prize for outstanding contributions to Yiddish literature (, ) was established in 1968, shortly before Itzik Manger's death in 1969. Manger "was and remains one of the best-known twentieth-century Yiddish poets." The Prize has bee ...

for Yiddish literature. Molodowsky's husband, Simcha Lev, died in New York City in 1974. In frail health, she moved to

to be near relatives, and died in a nursing home there, on March 23, 1975.Hellerstein (1999), "Introduction," ''Paper Bridges'', p. 50.

Poetry collections

*''.

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

: B. Kletskin, 1927 *'.

: ''

Literarishe Bleter The ''Literarishe Bleter'' () was a Yiddish weekly literary and cultural periodical published in Warsaw from 1924 to 1939. History Background and creation In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the Russian Empire's restrictions on ...

'', 1933 *'. Warsaw: Literarishe Bleter, 1935 *'.

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

: Farlag L. M. Shteyn, 1937 *'.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

: Farlag Papirene Brik, 1946 *'.

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

: Farlag Poaley Tsion Histadrut, 1965

Works in English translation (or bilingual editions)

* ''Paper Bridges: Selected Poems of Kadya Molodowsky'' (1999). Text in Yiddish and English translation, on facing pages. Translated and edited, and with an introduction by Kathryn Hellerstein. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
Preview online
* ''A House with Seven Windows: Short Stories'' (2006). Translation by Leah Schoolnik, of ''A Shtub mit Zibn Fentster'', first published in 1957. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. * ''A Jewish Refugee in New York: Rivke Zilberg’s Journal'' (2019). Translation by Anita Norich, of ''Fun Lublin biz Nyu-york: tog-bukh fun Rivke Zilberg'', first published in 1942. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253040756

References

External links

Guide to the Papers of Kadia Molodowsky
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, RG 703
Jewish Women's Archive page

YIVO page

"Kadia Molodowsky Reads Her Work" (audio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molodowsky, Kadia 1894 births 1975 deaths People from Byaroza People from Pruzhansky Uyezd Belarusian Jews Polish emigrants to the United States American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent American women poets Jewish American poets Jewish women writers American poets in Yiddish Yiddish-language writers 20th-century American women writers Itzik Manger Prize recipients