Literary Translations and Cultural Mediation among Jewish Minorities in Interwar Europe

This article explores the role of literary translations in the cultural enrichment of the Jewish national minority in interwar Europe, with a specific focus on Hebrew translations. In the wake of the emergence of new independent European states, translations were one of the key tools that enabled Jewish readers to access the cultural and intellectual traditions of their host countries while expanding their own literary corpus. The study examines how translators navigated the tension between fidelity to the source texts and adaptation to the cultural and ideological expectations of Hebrew-speaking audiences. Translating concepts unfamiliar to Jewish culture, particularly those rooted in non-Jewish religious and cultural traditions, posed specific challenges. The article focuses especially on Hebrew translations from diverse cultural backgrounds, including works by Rabindranath Tagore and Vincas Mickevičius-Krėvė, to illustrate broader trends in literary translation and their impact on the development of Hebrew literature during the interwar period.