Boone County Public Library has been selected as one of 40 libraries nationwide to participate in the Yiddish Book Center’s Public Libraries Program on the theme Between Two Worlds: Exploring Jewish Culture and Religion through Yiddish Literature.
Through this selective program, the Yiddish Book Center provides grants, resources and training to public libraries across the country to host reading groups and related programming to explore how Yiddish literature can provide a springboard for powerful conversations about religion, assimilation, identity and immigration.
With this opportunity, Karen Helmle, Branch Manager of BCPL’s Scheben Branch in Union will attend a three-day workshop onsite at the Yiddish Book Center campus in Amherst, Massachusetts, in November 2026. Following this training, BCPL will organize a reading group featuring three works of Yiddish literature in translation and one contemporary novel that complements the program’s themes.
The Yiddish titles in the book discussion group include:
• Motl, the Cantor’s Son by Sholem Aleichem (translated by Hillel Halkin)
• A House with Seven Windows: Short Stories by Kadya Molodowsky (translated by Leah Schoolnik)
• Emil and Karl: A Novel by Yankev Glatshteyn (translated by Jeffrey Shandler)
The group will also read The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, selected by Helmle for its exploration of community, identity, faith and belonging in a diverse Pennsylvania neighborhood during the 1920s and 1930s. The novel examines Jewish identity, immigration, assimilation, racism and antisemitism, while highlighting the connections that can develop among people from different backgrounds. Its focus on a community navigating differences and finding common ground makes it a strong fit for the Between Two Worlds theme.
“We’re excited to introduce our community to the richness of Yiddish literature and the many perspectives it offers,” said Jennifer Cheek, PR/marketing director for Boone County Public Library. “This program is a wonderful opportunity to bring people together through reading, discussion and discovery.”
Dates for the discussion groups are to be determined.
Boone County Public Library