Moon’s Milk: The Mystical Poetry of Avrom Sutzkever

oin us for a special evening of Yiddish poetry and music with Dr Nathan Wolski and The Bashevis Singers (Evie Gawenda, Husky Gawenda and Gideon Preiss).

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Jewish poets of the 20th century, Avrom Sutzkever is known for his deeply lyrical and mystical engagement with nature. His prewar poetry has often been compared to that of William Wordsworth—a kind of Wordsworth in Yiddish.

Dr Wolski will guide us through Sutzkever’s life and poetry, offering insight into his unique voice and vision. The evening will also feature live music by The Bashevis Singers, who will perform selections from their new album.

A rich and moving exploration of poetry, music and Jewish cultural heritage.

Avrom Sutzkever (1913–2010) was one of the most important Yiddish poets of the twentieth century, whose work spans prewar lyricism, Holocaust testimony, and postwar cultural renewal. Born in Smorgon (now Belarus) and raised near Vilna, he became associated with the “Young Vilna” literary group and quickly gained recognition for his innovative, nature-inspired poetry. During the Holocaust, Sutzkever was imprisoned in the Vilna Ghetto, where he continued to write, joined the resistance, and helped rescue Jewish cultural treasures. After the war, he testified at the Nuremberg Trials and later settled in Israel, where he became a central figure in Yiddish literary life, editing the influential journal Di goldene keyt. His work is celebrated for its linguistic richness, imaginative power and enduring commitment to preserving Jewish culture.

Dr Nathan Wolski is a lecture at ACJC, Monash University. He is a scholar of the Jewish mystical tradition with a special focus on the Zohar, the 13th century classic of medieval Kabbalah. He is the author of A Journey into the Zohar: An Introduction to the Book of Radiance (SUNY, 2010); the translator of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, vols 10 and 12 (with Joel Hecker) (Stanford Uni Press, 2016, 2017); and most recently Kabbalistic Yiddish: Aaron Zeitlin's Mystical-Messianic Poetics (Cherub Press, 2020). He has written numerous studies on diverse aspects of the Zohar, and translated Melila Hellner-Eshed's seminal book, A River Flows From Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar (Stanford Uni Press, 2009). His current research project "Esotericism and Exotericism in Early Modern Ashkenaz" explores the transmission of Kabbalah through Yiddish texts of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The Bashevis Singers are the children of generations of people who lived their lives in Yiddish. Husky Gawenda and his cousin Gideon Preiss are renowned Australian musicians and award winning song-writers. They are the core members of the critically acclaimed band HUSKY. Husky’s sister (and Gideon’s cousin) Evie is a playwright and theatre director who is known and loved for the beauty and warmth of her voice.