Ben Kaplan is a writer, educator, and opera librettist based in New York City.

Bio

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Ben studied literature and theater at Williams College. He currently serves as Director of Education at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, where he directs programs that teach Jewish history and culture to a broad and diverse audience. These programs include the YIVO-Bard Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture and the YIVO-Bard Winter Program on Ashkenazi Civilization.

Recent projects include two libretti Ben wrote for opera collaborations with composer Alex Weiser: The Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language, based on the life of Yiddish linguist Yudel Mark, and State of the Jews, based on the life of Theodor Herzl. As a librettist, he creates historically-informed dramatic works that chronicle turning points in history lost to contemporary cultural discourse. He is currently writing his next libretto based on a story centered around the Jewishness of Jesus of Nazareth.