Yung-yidish, also spelled Jung Idysz, was the first Jewish

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

artistic and literary group in Poland, active in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

in 1918–1921. The members exhibited in Poland and abroad and published an eponymous journal, as well as other literary works. Their leader was poet

Moishe Broderzon Moishe Broderzon (; 23 November ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 11 November1890 – 17 August 1956) was a Yiddish poet, theatre director, and the founder of the Łódź literary society, literary group ''Yung-yidish''. Personal life He w ...

History

Founded in 1918 by poet Moishe Broderzon and visual artists Yitskhok Broyner,

Jankel Adler Jankel Adler (born Jankiel Jakub Adler; 26 July 1895 – 25 April 1949) was a Polish-Jewish avant-garde painter and printmaker active primarily in Germany, France and England. He began his career as an engraver in Belgrade before studying ar ...

, and

Marek Szwarc Marek Szwarc (9 May 1892 – 28 December 1958) was a painter and sculptor associated with the School of Paris (École de Paris), as well as with the Yiddish cultural avant-garde movement in Poland '' Yung-yidish''. Early years Marek Szwarc was b ...

, Yung-yidish was the first Jewish avant-garde group in Poland. Broderzon, who had returned from Moscow, was strongly influenced by

Russian futurism Russian Futurism is the broad term for a movement of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles of Filippo Marinetti's "Futurist Manifesto, Manifesto of Futurism", which espoused the rejection of the past, and a celebration of speed, ...

and participated in the local Jewish cultural and artistic awakening, Adler had been active in the German

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

circle

Die Aktion ''Die Aktion'' ("The Action") was a German literary and political magazine, edited by Franz Pfemfert and published between 1911 and 1932 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf; it promoted literary Expressionism and stood for left-wing politics. To begin with, ' ...

, while Szwarc had previously joined

La Ruche ''La Ruche'' may refer to: * ''La Ruche'' (residence), artists' residence in Paris * ''La Ruche'' (school), early 1900s anarchist school outside Paris See also * Beehive (disambiguation) {{dab ...

in Paris. Although the artists drew from the European contemporary art milieu (with emphasis on expressionism), their key goal was to find an essential Jewish national style. Broderzon became the ideological leader of the group. Over time, Yung-yidish grew up to around 20 members, among whom the key members were

Ida Brauner Ida or IDA may refer to: People *Ida (given name), including people so named * Ida (surname), a list of people so named Astronomy * Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a do ...

, Marek Szwarc,

Henoch Barczyński Henoch (Henryk) Barczyński (15 December 1896 ) was a Polish painter, graphic artist, illustrator of Jewish descent. Biography Henoch Barczyński was a son of Szmul Barczyński, a tailor, and Sara (). Between 1912 and 1914, he studied graphics ...

, Jankel Adler,

Itzhak Katzenelson Itzhak Katzenelson (; also transcribed as ''Icchak-Lejb Kacenelson'', ''Jizchak Katzenelson''; ''Yitzhok Katznelson'') (1 July 1886 – 1 May 1944) was a Polish Jewish teacher, poet and dramatist. He was born in 1886 in Karelichy near Minsk, ...

Pola Lindenfeld Pola or POLA may refer to: People *House of Pola, an Italian noble family *Pola Alonso (1923–2004), Argentine actress * Pola Brändle (born 1980), German artist and photographer *Pola Gauguin (1883–1961), Danish painter * Pola Gojawiczyńska ...

Dina Matus DINA may refer to: * Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA), the Chilean secret police under the Pinochet regime * DINA S.A., a Mexican truck and bus manufacturer See also

* Dina (disambiguation) * * DINO * DIN (disambiguation) {{disambi ...

and A. Neuman. The group also welcomed younger artists discovered by its members, such as Elimelekh Shmulevitsh, Chaim Leib Fox, and

Yisroel Shtern Israel () is a Hebrew-language masculine given name. According to the Book of Genesis, the name was bestowed upon Jacob after the incident in which he wrestled with the angel ( and 35:10). The given name is already attested in Eblaite ( ) and Ug ...

. The Yung-yidish group dissipated quickly: Adler left Poland for Germany in 1920 and Szwarc emigrated the following year. The members exhibited in Poland and abroad until 1923.

Publications and exhibitions

In 1919, Yung-yidish published the first issue of their eponymous journal which was the result of a close cooperation of poets, painters and graphic designers. As in the Russian futurist press, text and linocuts were treated with the same importance. The enthusiastic front-page

manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

stated:

What’s trivial and worthless becomes void in the reality of our present orld…] God is with us, the God of eternity, beauty and the great truth! ��For art! For young, beautiful Yiddish! And for the eternal language of prophets! Without beauty, the world cannot be imagined!

The form of ''Yung-yidish'' reflected its avant-garde contents: the magazine was printed on grey wrapping paper as a nod to the industrial Łódź. The group published two more issues in the same year. Articles and manifestos were contributed in

Yiddish 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 ...

by, among others, Katzenelson and Ch. L. Żytnicki, while illustrations were authored by Adler, Brauner, Szwarc and Barczyński. Latin transliteration of the journal by German publisher Jüdischer Verlag was arranged, but not executed. In the next two years, the group published more works: a series of works by Broderzon, a play by Katzenelson and poems by Khayim Krul. Yung-yidish also organised exhibitions and held one in New York in 1922. The group also ran poetry events in Łódź and

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 ...

and collaborated with Warsaw-based artists

Henryk Berlewi Henryk Berlewi (Yiddish: הענריק בערלעװי; October 20, 1894 – August 2, 1967) was a Polish-French painter, graphic designer and art theorist, who is primarily remembered as an abstract artist who paved the way for optical art, but ...

and Vladislav Weintraub. With Berlewi, the Yung-yidish painters established the Salon of Futurists, Cubists and Primitivists. The group also cooperated with other artistic circles: the Kultur Lige, the Picador from Warsaw and Bunt from Poznań.

References

{{Authority control Avant-garde art Expressionism Culture in Łódź Artists from Łódź Polish artist groups and collectives Jewish art