Yiddish literature, the body of written works produced in the Yiddish language of Ashkenazic Jewry (central and eastern European Jews and their descendants). Yiddish literature culminated in the period from 1864 to 1939, inspired by modernization and then severely diminished by the Holocaust. It arose in Europe out of a tradition that gave precedence to Hebrew prayers, commentaries, and scripture. As the vernacular expression of Ashkenazic Jews, Yiddish literature was often intended for ordinary readers rather than for the highly educated. Because few women learned Hebrew, their literacy was in Yiddish, and they became the primary audience for some forms
Yiddish literature, the body of written works in the Yiddish language of Ashkenazic Jewry. Its history can be divided into Old Yiddish literature (c. 1300–1780), Haskala and Hasidism (c. 1755–1880), and Modern Yiddish literature (from 1864). It has been in decline since the Nazi genocide of the 20th century.