Old Yiddish Adaptations of German Literary Texts, 1400-1800: Cultural Transfer and Christian-Jewish Relations in Early Modern Europe

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Astrid Lembke
• Subject Area: German Medieval Studies (Medieval German Literature) ; General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; Religious Studies and Jewish Studies
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 528168121

This project engages with one of the central and most intricate aspects of the German-Yiddish encounter throughout the ages – that of Old Yiddish adaptations of premodern German literary texts. Composed and disseminated among the Jewish-Ashkenazi communities of Europe between the 14th and the late 18th century, this unique corpus of German literature in Yiddish included such diverse works as heroic epic, romance, chapbooks, fables, and poems. As a multifaceted case of cultural transfer between the Christian majority culture and the Jewish minority, it raises highly interesting questions concerning the identity and social functions of the Jewish translators; the texts that were chosen for translation (and those that were not); the translation strategies that were meant to adapt the German source texts to a Jewish audience; and the reception of the Old Yiddish adaptations in the early modern era and beyond. Of special interest are the possible motivations for translation and the ways in which the translators sought to introduce their readers to non-Jewish literature, while at the same time fostering a distinct Jewish subculture. In recent years, the Old Yiddish adaptations of German texts attracted the attention of scholars from Yiddish and Jewish studies, German studies, comparative literature, cultural history, and translation studies. Their scholarship reflects the growing interest in this Old Yiddish corpus and demonstrates its potential for innovative and creative research. Yet it also displays the fragmentation of this multidisciplinary field, which is still lacking basic scholarly tools for its cohesion and future development. In our German-Israeli collaboration we aim to make a significant contribution to the study of Old Yiddish adaptations of German literature, and hence to the broader field of Old Yiddish studies, in a three-fold manner. 1) We will compose a comprehensive and interdisciplinary handbook that will serve as an authoritative guide to the field. As a first venture of its kind, the handbook will comprise a systematic and thoroughly researched presentation of the works in this Old Yiddish corpus, including full bibliographical details, historical and literary background, and an in-depth analysis of the works themselves from philological, literary, and historical perspectives. 2) We will use this interdisciplinary collaboration for the production of new and original research in the field, to be submitted for publication in peer-review journals and, ultimately, integrated into the handbook itself. 3) We will set up, for the first time, a designated, freely accessible, and continuously updating online database of this literary corpus, which will facilitate the research of scholars and students worldwide. With these three complementary goals we hope to promote high-quality research and teaching in Old Yiddish studies as well as the visibility of the field and its attractiveness for excellent students across the disciplines.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel
• International Co-Applicant: Dr. Aya Elyada