|Leo Rosten (1908-1997) was the author of countless books,
articles and screenplays. During his career, which spanned more
than 60 years, Rosten introduced millions of Americans to Jewish
language, culture and humor. His works include The Education of
H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N and The Joys of Yiddish.| In Chicago,
Rosten was raised in a working-class environment whose
population of new Jewish Americans formed the setting for much
of his later writing. Rosten made a lasting contribution to
American and Jewish cultures. Jews who in the 1930s were ashamed
of Yiddish, and throughout World War II felt funny about
recognizing their Jewishness, learned through people like Rosten
to feel proud of their Yiddishness without fear or shame.