Bel Kaufman, best-selling author of “Up the Down Staircase,” professor, centenarian and granddaughter of Sholem Aleichem will share reminiscences of her beloved grandfather at GWU’s Sholem Aleichem Fest on April 24 and 25 at George Washington University. Sholem Aleichem’s stories inspired the musical, Fiddler on The Roof, which was one of the first successful theatrical productions about Jewish Life in Eastern Europe. At the first event Professor Max Ticktin and students from the Department of Theatre & Dance will join Ms. Kaufman in a series of staged readings, in both Yiddish and English, of Aleichem’s short stories.

On Wednesday, April 25 Joseph Dorman will be on hand to screen and discuss his acclaimed new film, Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness. The second night of the Sholem Aleichem Fest honors the memory of Norman Weinstein

The Program in Judaic Studies and the Department of English sponsor the two-day event. The events conclude this semester’s Jewish Literature Live! sponsored annually by David Bruce Smith. All events are free and open to the public. For more information and to register visit the event site.