Emily Dickinson at Poets House

This blog entry comes from Byron Bartlett, Library Intern at Poets House. Since they are currently showing an ongoing exhibition about the life and work of Emily Dickinson, we asked them to blog about the Belle of Amherst, who was almost a contemporary of Emma Lazarus. They even shared a friend in common — Emily Dickinson’s mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) of Amherst, Massachusetts, was one of the greatest American poets. She made hand-bound books of her poems; yet, save for an occasional appearance in correspondence with friends and family, these poems remained unknown during her lifetime. After her death, her family discovered 40 of her manuscript books, and thus began her publishing career.

This winter at Poets House marks an unique exhibition: Donald and Patricia Oresman have been kind enough to lend us pages of Dickinson’s manuscripts from their private collection, which are now on display in our Cheney Chappell Exhibition Space. It is an understatement to say that opportunities to see Dickinson’s papers are few and far between. The exhibit includes rare manuscripts, letters, fragments and even a recipe along with books and other archival materials.

In addition, poet and artist Jen Bervin, who curated the Oresmans’ exhibit, is showing her remarkable “composite quilts” inspired by Dickinson’s manuscripts and Dickinson’s attention to punctuation. Each quilt represents the careful overlaying of all of the pages of a particular manuscript book (now sometimes called “fascicles”) onto one surface. The marks are displayed on one folio-like “page,” (i.e. two facing pages) enlarged to 6 feet by 8 feet. The written words are removed. These quilts are an apt accompaniment to Dickinson’s hand; for Bervin has made a landscape of the marks of Dickinson’s intelligence.

Dickinson’s manuscript books were assembled from earlier drafts of the included poems. The creation of the manuscript book, differing from an artisan’s manufacture of an edition for public purchase, nevertheless seems to have been a private way for Dickinson to create an authoritative work of art.

The printed editions of Dickinson’s work have reduced the variation of punctuation present in her manuscripts. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, edited by Ralph Franklin, is an indispensable reference on the subject. Certain of her famous dashes, in manuscript, are actually small and sit at the lower line of the text, aligned with periods and commas. Others are more like the printed “—”, sitting on the median line of text. For those of us who have read her in textbooks and in anthologies, the manuscripts are quite a revelation.

Another example of the uniqueness of the manuscripts, left out of her printed poems, is the “+” mark. In her manuscript books, she often includes alternate word choices, listed below the final line of each poem in the sequence in which they would appear, and marked in the text by a plus sign next to the word replaced.

One can feel Dickinson’s mind searching for alternate matrices of thought that might articulate the ideal state of a poem. While the syntactical structure of each poem may remain the same, she is not content with one word-choice within that syntax. Her additions may be an unconscious acknowledgement that the poem can never be the idea of the poem: she suggests it by allowing there to be no one finished version.

We hope that the manuscripts, Jen Bervin's works, as well as the related public programs will evoke the radical nature of Dickinson's life and work, opening new doors for Dickinson lovers and inspiring Dickinson neophytes.

Come visit us at 10 River Terrace, quite literally minutes away from the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The exhibitions will be open through February 18.


Images: "A blossom" - Letter 803 from Emily Dickinson to Forrest F. Emerson, who briefly served as the pastor of the First Church at Amherst from June 12, 1879 until he was dismissed on February 21, 1883. (c) President and Fellows of Harvard College

Quilt: Courtesy of Poets House

From Museum to Mesopotamia and Back Again

This blog comes from Monica, one of our Museum Educators, who has just completed her student teaching across the street at Battery Park City’s new public school as part of her Masters program at the Bank Street College. We were delighted when the school opened and very curious to know how our new neighbors were faring. We’re glad to hear they are in such good hands.

This past fall I was able to complete my student teaching requirement in the Museum’s backyard at PS/IS276. I was placed in a 6th and 7th grade social studies classroom. I had about 150 students in total with whom I worked three days a week. I was given the opportunity to write the 6th grade unit on the Ancient Civilization of Mesopotamia and also the beginning of the Ancient Egypt unit. Using my museum background, I included hands on work and incorporated artifacts throughout my lessons. I brought in photographs of works of art for the students to use as resources for their study of each unit. Over the holiday break I assigned an extra credit assignment for students to visit a museum in NYC. I asked them to pick an artifact they could connect to something related to their Social Studies class. I am happy to say that a few of my students took the opportunity to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage and even stopped by my office to say hello. It was a great learning experience and I hope to bring my experiences back into the Museum’s galleries.

Interfaith Living Museum Begins

Deputy Director Anita Kassof describes her first encounter with our Interfaith Living Museum.

Education Director Liz Edelstein stuck her head into my office this morning to remind me that today is the day that the students participating in our Interfaith Living Museum program are here for their first session. She suggested I head downstairs to see things in action.

I knew that the program, which brings together Jewish and Muslim children to study and present family artifacts from their respective traditions, is one of our most successful. I also knew that today’s session was the first in a semester-long series that includes visits to several other museums and cultural sites and culminates in a student-curated exhibition. What I didn’t anticipate is that after only an hour or so together, these Jewish and Muslim children would be interacting comfortably, enthusiastically trading information, sharing materials, and smoothly cooperating to complete worksheets.

I had the privilege of touring the first floor of the Museum’s Core Exhibition with a group of boys led by veteran Gallery Educator Ann Barandes, who has a wonderful way with the students. Under her guidance, the boys eagerly learned what an artifact is, became familiar with terms like “gallery” and “text panel,” and talked about how an object can tell a story.

Seeing these earnest, friendly, and polite kids in action—together—reminded me, once again, why we do what we do here at the Museum.

Photo: ILM 2010 alums Tanima Rahman of the Al-Ihsan Academy and Alex Shinder of the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan with the prayer books that have been treasured by their families for years. Photo by Elena Olivo.

Ring in the Year of the Dragon with Us at the 2nd Annual Mah Jongg Marathon

Last Super Bowl Sunday, about 80 women from three generations gathered over the mah jongg tiles for serious (and not so serious) games, chatter, and fundraising for a great cause.

Now, back by popular demand, get ready to join us for the 2nd Annual Mah Jongg Marathon to benefit the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The festivities will take place on Sunday, March 11 from noon to 5 p.m. You may play for as long or as short a time as you wish. The day will include terrific raffle prizes and great fun.

The registration fee is $36 per person. We can match you with the right players or you can bring your own group. All players are encouraged to get sponsors to support them in their efforts.

Click here for the nitty gritty details about how it works.Have additional questions? Please e-mail mahjongg@mjhnyc.org.

May the tiles be in your favor!


photos: our director, Dr. David G. Marwell attempts to keep the tiles straight with staff members Caroline Earp, Jennifer Roberts, and Melissa Martens. The special events hall was packed with mah jongg players. Photos by Melanie Einzig.

Will to Create/Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin

This blog comes from Lisa, but we are all in awe of how the many composers, artists, writers, and children who were sent to Terezin created a thriving culture in the "transition camp."

In honor of the enduring human spirit displayed at Terezin, the 92nd Street Y has curated 92 Y- Terezin Will To Create / Will To Live: The Culture of Terezin. From now through February 16, this multi-disciplinary series will explore Terezin’s cultural significance through concerts, readings, dance performances, lectures, films, and classes. You can see the extensive schedule here and learn more about this extraordinary chapter of history.

Museum of Jewish Heritage Facebook fans can get free tickets to select programs in the series that are listed below by using the code Heritage when reserving tickets online at www.92Y.org/Terezin or calling 212-415-5500.

January 18 Panel Discussion: The Story of Terezin, featuring two Terezin survivors, documentary film footage, and stories of family, art, work and daily life in Terezin.

January 19 Concert: The Nash Ensemble will be joined by celebrated Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair for a selection of Czech works by likes of Viktor Ullmann and Pavel Haas.

January 21 Concert: The Nash Ensemble celebrates the pre-war music of Prague with works composed Pavel Haas and others.

January 23 Concert, Wolfgang Holzmair and pianist Shai Wosner (recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant), perform works by set to music featuring the writing of Rainer Maria and Christopher Rilke.

We thank our colleagues at the 92St Y for welcoming our community to commemorate with them.

Image from online Terezin gallery. Courtesy of the 92 St Y

The Evolution of Holocaust Remembrance

Deputy Director Anita Kassof is attending the Association of Holocaust Organizations winter conference in Washington, D.C. Since she is conferring about important Holocaust matters this week, this seemed like the right time to post her blog about her return to the world of Holocaust remembrance. Perhaps we can even get a follow-up post after she comes back.

I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle.

As the first assistant curator at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where I worked from 1988 to 2000, I helped build the collections by gathering materials and stories from Holocaust survivors, some of whom were coming to terms with the past for the first time. In the years since I left the USHMM, I curated an exhibition about refugees from Nazi Germany and co-authored two Holocaust-related books. But they were discrete projects, undertaken within the context of a more general museum career. Since I began working at the MJH in October, I’ve immersed myself in interpretation of the Holocaust, full-time and as my main focus, for the first time since 2000.

And just like Rip waking up from his long nap, I find that the landscape has changed.

Whereas Holocaust commissions and committees and the boards of Holocaust museums used to be dominated by survivors whose vision and drive helped shape those organizations, today the survivors’ presence is often less prominent than that of their children, grandchildren, or others who have no familial connection to the Holocaust. At the Museum’s Generation to Generation Dinner in November, David Marwell asked all of the survivors in the room of 350 people to stand. Only a scattering were there to do so. Two decades ago, most of the people in the room would have stood.

I am glad to be back. The tenor of Holocaust remembrance is changing so rapidly that I think that now, more than ever, we need to renew our energies, to work closely with those survivors who are with us, and to rethink how we remember and interpret the Shoah. That means not only training survivors’ children and grandchildren (“2G” and “3G ” in new lingo I’ve recently learned) to tell their family’s stories, but also innovating ways to find meaning in the Holocaust without resorting to simplistic morality lessons, and using the Shoah to help us understand contemporary tragedies.

And it means figuring out how to make that singular event resonate for future learners who will never have the privilege of hearing first-hand testimony from living survivors.

From Uzbekistan to Battery Park

A touching story in the New Jersey Jewish News tells of two Holocaust survivors and their Muslim niece that have finally reunited after decades. We’re humbled that they spent part of their reunion here, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where Gulnora Jurajeva of Uzbekistan learned more about her family’s history.

Jurajeva’s cousin, Rob Stevens, had begun a search two years ago in order to try to find his mother’s long-lost sister, Frima who was separated from the family at a forced labor camp. While Frima passed away in 1984, he managed to get in touch with her daughter, Gulnora. After dealing with months of red tape, the family secured a visa for Gulnora’s visit. She told the family, through a translator that “She is so sad that her mother never had a chance to experience this, but she is very happy to be with her family.”

We wish them many happy times together.

Photo of Rob Stevens and Gulnora Jurajeva. Courtesy of Rob Stevens.