New York's Yiddish Writers
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The "young" literary group as a whole reveals that same restlessness and groping as characterises the youthful Americans. Youth is youth, whatever the tongue. It is highly significant, too, that Noah Steinberg's volume of criticism of the "young" spirits is called Young America. For the new group of Yiddish writers writes not only in, but on and of America.
What the effect of the recent Russian revolution will be upon Yiddish literature in New York is hard to tell. At the end of the war there may be a literary exodus to the old country; the removal of restrictions against the Jews, and freedom to use their latent powers in a country which they have never ceased to love may betoken new things for Yiddish literature abroad. Perhaps Warsaw will yet be the capital of Jewish letters once again. With the brightening of hopes for Zion may come an era of Yiddish letters for which the present renaissance may be but a preparation. If America would understand its great population of Jews, nothing could lead to such an understanding better than a knowledge of New York's Yiddish writers.