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Library Journal (New York)
Vol. 129, no. 20 (Dec. 2004)
KATZ, DOVID. Words on Fire: The Unfinished Story of Yiddish. Basic
Books: Perseus. 2004. c. 464 pp. ISBN 0-465-03728-3. $26.95. LANG
Reviewed by Gene Shaw, New York Public Library
In this important history of Yiddish and Jewish culture, Katz (Grammar of
the Yiddish Language, Vilnius Yiddish Institute) describes Yiddish as one
of the three languages of European Jewry, the other two being Hebrew and Aramaic.
Combining Semitic, Germanic, and Slavic elements, Yiddish embraces historic
Jewish concepts and feelings. Katz shows how it eventually became accepted as
a religious language and details the controversies between Hebrew and Yiddish
proponents, Hasidic and non-Hasidic Jews, Lithuanian and Polish Jews, and German
Enlightenment Jews and Yiddish speakers. He also traces Yiddish literature from
its earliest days through the Jewish Yiddish Bible, early printed books (c.1540),
Hasidic writings, Yiddish newspapers (c.1860), and the Yiddish modern masters,
up to the present day. Especially noteworthy is Katz's discussion of the close
association between Yiddish and Jewish mysticism, as well as his consideration
of the future of the language. Wideranging, evenhanded, and detailed, this fascinating
study is highly recommended for Jewish studies collections.