February 1, 2010 Russian Poet's Search for Yiddish is Subject of Documentary Film To Be Discussed at the Library of Congress on Feb. 16

On the eve of his 75th birthday, singer-songwriter and poet Alexander Gorodnitsky set out for Belarus, to the City of Mogilev, where his parents were born and lived and where all his family members were exterminated during World War II. His mission was to trace his ancestry and explore the centers of Jewish life before the Holocaust in search of the remnants of Yiddish language and culture. His journey is documented in a 90-minute film titled “Search for Yiddish.”

Gorodnitsky will discuss the film and show selected clips at the Library of Congress at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the West Dining Room, located on the sixth floor of the Library’s James Madison Building located at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The free, public event is sponsored by the European Division and the Library of Congress Hebrew Language Table.

Gorodnitsky, a Russian-Jewish singer and poet, holds a Ph.D. in geological and mineralogical sciences. He has published more than 260 research works and eight books. Gorodnitsky’s poems and songs written for this film include fragments from his narrative poem “In Search of Yiddish.”

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.