Brilliant Israeli poet and song lyricist, Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), and German-born Jewish Nobel Prize-winning poet, Nelly Sachs (1891-1970), will have their poetry read this coming Monday evening, May 16, 7 p.m. on Zoom. This program is sponsored by the Lawrence Family JCC Astor Judaica Library, the Senior Department and the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture. Each poem or song will be presented, first in its English translation, then in its original language. Here is the link for registration.
Nelly Sachs was born in Berlin, the only child of inventor and industrialist Wilhelm Sachs and his wife, Margareta. Thanks to Nelly’s friendship with the Swedish poet, Selma Lagerloef and the help of Prince Eugen of the Swedish Royal House, Nelly and her mother were able to escape to neutral Sweden on one of the last flights to Stockholm. There, through her writing, Nelly Sachs bore witness to the atrocities and annihilation suffered by her fellow Jews. Leean Knetzer, retired educator and librarian will open the program with a biographical sketch of the poet’s life.
This will be followed by the recitation of 10 of Nelly Sachs’ poems, first presented in English by readers Shira Sandell, poet and educator; Lisa Schwartz, former poet laureate of Newton, Connecticut; Dan Wingard, Los Angeles-based actor; Susie Meltzer, retired medical researcher, former JCC president; and Liba Sherman, Israeli folk dance enthusiast.
The original German will be read by five members of the six-member Vollrath family, whose parents, Annette and Ben, are native speakers and whose four children all study or have studied at the Einstein German Immersion magnet school of San Diego Unified Schools. Currently, oldest son, Paul, is a student of Applied Physics at GeorgiaTech in Atlanta; Jonathan is a senior in the International Program at Roosevelt High School, who will go to Georgia Tech next Fall to study engineering and Hannah, a sophomore in the International program at Roosevelt High School will be going to Tel Aviv, Israel for her junior and senior high school years.
Avraham Shlonsky’s biography will be presented by Rabbi Emeritus of Temple EmanuEl, Martin Lawson. This will be followed by seven poems, read in English translation by Dr. Eli Meltzer, retired Pediatric Allergist and past president of the JCC, Sara Appel-Lennon, local journalist and retired teacher and Michael Horvitz, accountant and published poet. Two Israeli songs will be sung by Elisheva Edelson, conductor of the Ohr Shalom Choir; and one song will be
sung by Myla Wingard, Jewish educator and violinist with the Temple Beth Israel Chai Band. The original Hebrew poems of Shlonsky will be read by Ruth Levy, Jewish educator and former director of the San Diego Hebrew High School; and two 18-year-old Shinshinim, Evyatar Lustiger and Yuval Faibish, here in San Diego through the Jewish Federation, doing community service.
This program is co-chaired by Leean Knetzer and myself, Eileen Wingard. It illustrates not only the great talent found in our Jewish heritage, but the talented members of our community who are willing to volunteer their services. Leean Knetzer located all of the German poems and Israeli poet and poetry educator, Rachel Korazim, and San Diego’s Israeli educator, Geula Hebron assisted with selecting Hebrew poems and translations. Elisheva Edelson, Jewish educator and singer, found the Hebrew songs.
Lawrence Family JCC Staff, Ryan Isaacs, Director of the San Diego Center of Jewish Culture, Melanie Rubin, Director of the Senior Department and the Astor Judaica Library and Sarah Mattes, Melanie’s assistant, and technical supporter, all helped with this program.
Republished from Republished from San Diego Jewish World