Unzer Sztyme: Our Voice After the Unimaginable

In collaboration with the Montreal Holocaust Museum, the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, and the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre. 

Unzer Sztyme, Yiddish for Our Voice, was an unprecedented publication produced in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in the months following liberation. The Jewish Public Library Archives holds one of the few known collections of the publication in the world. April 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen camp, so we invite you to this multi-faceted program to commemorate both Unzer Sztyme and the anniversary of the liberation of its contributors.

Upon arrival in the DP camp, many Jews immediately took to documenting their accounts of the unimaginable, and their hopes for the future. Co-editor of Unzer Sztyme, Paul Trepman, was one of them. Meanwhile, in Montreal, Sholem Krishtalka supported the publication and later helped to bring the Trepmans to Canada. These two families have continued to cross paths ever since; most recently, their sons, Elly Trepman and Aaron Krishtalka, have been working to translate the Unzer Sztyme from Yiddish to English to reach broader audiences.

Join us in for readings from Unzer Sztyme by actors from the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, a one-night only exhibition featuring materials from the JPL Archives and the Montreal Holocaust Museum, and a moderated discussion between Aaron Krishtalka and Elly Trepman – meeting for the first time in person – to discuss the genesis of the publication and their ongoing translation efforts.

Master of Ceremonies: Rivka Augenfeld
Invited Speakers: Aaron Krishtalka and Elly Trepman
Moderator: Benya Villani
Guest Speaker: Eddie Paul