Published: 2 July 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
After 15 months of being closed, the Yiddish Book Centre in Amherst has reopened its doors, with a new art exhibit
THE REOPENING IS somewhat limited, according to Lisa Newman, the book center’s director of publishing and public programs, with reduced hours and safety protocols, such as requiring all visitors to wear face masks, in place. Meantime, a number of virtual programs at the Amherst site, which were considerably expanded during the past year, are continuing and will remain on tap even as a gradual return to full in-person visitation takes place, she noted.
But Newman says there’s been one small benefit to the pandemic, in that shifting educational and cultural programs to an online format has enabled the book center to reach a far-flung audience. In some cases, she notes, hundreds of people, including some from overseas, have signed up to watch talks and events that normally would generate much less attendance.
Photo: “The Shoemaker and the Gossip Peddler,” a 2019 pen and ink drawing and giclee print by Steve Marcus (Kevin Gutting/Staff)
