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| OHCC LIVING | MARCH 2026 | 35 Yiddish Club e Role Of Jewish Literature In America Jews have always been storytellers, and their immigration to America, beginning in earnest in the mid to late 1800s, has not changed that tradition. Like literature contributed by other immigrant communities, Jewish authors focused on the conf licting pulls of assimilating into secular society and the maintenance of their traditions carried to America from Europe. Yiddish stories and plays provided a rich foundation for the development of modern Jewish authors. The stories of Sholom Aleichem (which became the basis of "Fiddler on the Roof ") and Isaac Basevis Singer (who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978) are but two of a score of Yiddish writers who inf luenced the generation of Jewish writers who came of age in the middle of the 20th century. Widely praised novels, such as Call It Sleep by Henry Roth, Herzog by Saul Bellow, and Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk in traduced the Jewish immigrant story to a greater American audience and paved the way for a large group of authors in the late 1900s to fearlessly explore Jewish stereotypes, anti-Semitism, and assimilation. Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint are the most controversial examples of such work. Other authors looked at the journey of the American Jewish community more sympathetically. These works include My Name is Asher Lev and e Chosen by Chaim Potok; e World to Come by Dara Horn; Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; e Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis; and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. Each of these authors, and many more, have had an outsized inf luence of how Jews perceive themselves and how the non-Jewish community views the place Jews occupy in the mosaic of American culture. This exploration of the American Jewish experience is separate and apart from the large, forceful genre of Holocaust literature, written by survivors and others, upon whom it had a deep and important impact, changing untold millions of people's perception of Jews. Don't miss our third Annual Symbolic Seder, to be held on Wed., April 8 in Abravanel Hall. Stay tuned for more information to sign up. Submitted by Robert Ganz Members were requested to write one or two sentences describing what the Billiards Club means to them for this month's magazine article. Here's what they came up with: Jerry Brunkala – "e Billiards Club allows me to chill out and meet new people, gather with old friends and enjoy all sorts of entertaining billiards games. e competitions and tournaments are friendly, fun and challenging and I particularly love to hear the laughter that always seems to echo around the room when people are enjoying themselves." Janice Pelcher – "Billiards Club means the opportunity to learn and practice a new skill with old and new friends." Zoraya de la Bastida – "What I can say is that the group is always open to help my shots and teach me and that makes it so much fun and creates great memories." Kathy ornton – "e club to me is a chance for ladies to have a small but very active gathering two times a week for friendship and competition. I also enjoy the family competition every Tuesday night." Linda Corry – "Joining the Billiards Club meant getting out of my comfort zone and trying something entirely foreign. e other clubs I joined are great and predictable - but billiards? It's proving to be fun and very challenging. I'm also nding others who want to help me along so I will persist." Stan Katz – "We at OHCC are most fortunate to have our own Billiards Parlor to enjoy. To just drop in to practice on our own or schedule a meetup. Or pick up a game with friends/neighbors who happen to be there." Al Harru – "I have been involved in sports activities all my life. My age has curtailed my former activities. Billiards has proven to be a challenging new experience, with a group of very friendly people." Bobbi Osborn – "When I joined the Billiards Club, I wanted to have fun and learn something new. I didn't realize I would make so many friends along the way. Everyone is helpful and patient with beginners." Ken Shafarman – "e OHCC Billiards Club provides 3 areas of enjoyment for me: Social - opportunities to meet, mix and interact with others. Mental - whether playing against others or by myself, pool allows me to face some personal limitations and expand my capabilities. Relaxation - our club is a great place to unwind and relax anytime I want to take a break from other things going on in my day." D.D. Smith – "First, it teaches me humility. en it provides a challenge. Mostly, I love the pool gang!" David Breedlove – "Billiards – and you thought brain surgery was hard." Leo Beeloo – "I came to meet you, not to beat you." Written by Golden Harris Billiards

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