The Yiddish Poetry of Malka Lee

Malka Lee was born into a Hasidic family in the shtetl of Monastyrishtshe, Galicia on 4 July 1904. Despite her father’s concern that her literary ambitions were ‘irreligious,’ Lee would grow up to be one of the most beloved female Yiddish poets in America. 

Her writings focused on a range of topics, including her memories of shtetl life, the secular immigrant experience, and the pain of watching the tragedy of the Holocaust unfold while living in safety in the United States. 

Lee dedicated her memoir “Durkh Kindershe Oygn” (Through a Child’s Eyes) to her family who were murdered during the Holocaust.