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Irena Klepfisz: Keeper of the Bundist Flame

JL;DR SUMMARY Irena Klepfisz, a key figure in keeping the legacy of the Jewish Labor Bund alive, embodies an intersection of historical memory and contemporary activism. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustPoetryJewish StudiesJewish Labor BundActivismWarsaw GhettoWomen's RightsIrena KlepfiszBundismSocialist Values

Places mentioned

Warsaw, Mazovia, Poland
"Born in the Warsaw ghetto on the 28th birthday of her father, Michal, she spent much of her earliest years in hiding, in a Catholic orphanage."
Lodz, Łódź, Poland
"After sojourns in postwar Lodz and Sweden, Irena and her mother, Rose settled in the amalgamated houses in the Bronx in 1949."
Sweden
"After sojourns in postwar Lodz and Sweden, Irena and her mother, Rose settled in the amalgamated houses in the Bronx in 1949."
Bronx, New York, United States
"After sojourns in postwar Lodz and Sweden, Irena and her mother, Rose settled in the amalgamated houses in the Bronx in 1949."
Bedford Hills, New York, United States
"She has taught English literature and womens studies at Barnard College and the Bedford Hills Womens correctional facility, and Jewish studies and creative writing at YIVO and many other institutions."
New York, United States
"I have, however, worked on the NYT Spelling Bee on the subway."
Stockholm, Sweden
"2019 memory: Meeting my playmate Ewa Heller Ekblad in Stockholm."

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Cairo Item ID 83483
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-05-28 05:31:19 UTC
Curated 2026-05-28 08:30:45 UTC