Yiddish language and literature played a major role in the lives of millions of Eastern European Jews, both in their homelands and in the centers to which they immigrated in America. Aspects of that culture have continued to be enjoyed and explored by Jews and non-Jews alike in many "translated" contexts. Yiddish, then, clearly has a past and and something of a present. Its future, in doubt according to some, should be vibrant, if considerably changed, in the opinion of others. These are among the topics and issues addressed in this series of papers, which manage to be scholarly, lyrical, challenging, and evocative all at the same time.