Speaking Yiddish to Chickens: Holocaust Survivors on South Jersey Poultry Farms

An SJICR Reads / RCHGHR Book Club

Wednesday 31 January (Introduction)
Wednesday 21 February (Prologue-Chapter 13)
Wednesday 27 March (Meet with Author)
Wednesday 17 April (Chapter 14-Postscript)

Wilson Hall, rm 105
12:30 - 1:30pm

Or, virtually:

Zoom Meeting: https://rowan.zoom.us/j/85683684683?pwd=dlZKYjJNRWU4d0Q2cDd4ZUxXdi9kUT09 

Meeting ID: 856 8368 4683

Exploring the theme of post-genocide perseverance, the Rowan Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights with the Office of Social Justice, Inclusion, and Conflict Resolution invite you to the Book Club discussion of Speaking Yiddish to Chickens: Holocaust Survivors on South Jersey Poultry Farms (2023) by Seth Stern. Most of the roughly 140,000 Holocaust survivors who came to the United States in the first decade after World War II settled in big cities such as New York. But a few thousand chose an alternative way of life on American farms. More of these accidental farmers wound up raising chickens in southern New Jersey than anywhere else. Speaking Yiddish to Chickens is the first book to chronicle this little-known chapter in American Jewish history when these mostly Eastern European refugees – including the author’s grandparents - found an unlikely refuge and gateway to new lives in the US on poultry farms. They gravitated to a section of south Jersey anchored by Vineland, a small rural city where previous waves of Jewish immigrants had built a rich network of cultural and religious institutions. This is their remarkable story of loss, renewal, and perseverance in the most unexpected of settings.

Seth Stern will be our guest speaker for a virtual talk on Wednesday 27 March (12:30-1:30) for our RCHGHR Lecture Series, co-sponsored with The Hollybush Institute for Global Peace and Security.

You may request your free copy of the book (first come/first served basis) by e-mailing Professor Jody Russell Manning at manningj@rowan.edu with information for interoffice delivery or to set a pickup day/time. Please note that the books are reserved for those who plan to attend book club meetings.

The RCHGHR/SJICR Book Club was designed to exchange ideas, share opinions, and explore a main theme that makes connections and opens up bigger questions. Co-sponsored with The College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Everyone is encouraged to read the book, but all are welcome to join even if you have not read! Please join us for our first meeting on Wednesday 31 January from 12:30-1:30 in Wilson 105 or virtually. JOIN US AT ANYTIME!