The two poems translated here into Hebrew for the first time reveal two aspects of Simcha Eisen’s work, as well as elements of life in the Yishuv during the British Mandate period.

The first is a 1929 manifesto for the "Trask" group, a collective of artists and writers who sought to establish a bohemian culture in the Land of Israel and worked to spread a spirit of humor and absurdity within the Yishuv. In the late 1920s, they even attempted a brief communal settlement in Sheikh Abreik, merging bohemian ideals with a pastoral dream of shepherding. Simcha Eisen was likely a significant figure in this group, yet in the limited scholarly studies about Trask, there is no reference to the poem translated here, which was originally published in Yiddish in the magazine Eyns ("One"), published by the Yiddish Writers' Club in the Land of Israel. Reading the poem alongside the history of Trask sheds new light on the role of Yiddish culture in young Tel Aviv, and within the group itself.

The second poem translated here describes a pilgrimage experience to the tomb of Nabi Salih, a Muslim prophet and local saint, who, according to some traditions, is buried in the old cemetery of Ramla. The hilula (festival) of Nabi Salih, celebrated in the spring, was one of the major local festivals in Palestinian society before 1948, blending the sacred and the secular—prayer alongside a vibrant market and a day of festivities with family and friends. The poem suggests that Eisen himself joined a group traveling on foot from Tel Aviv or Jaffa to Ramla, seemingly walking alongside a group of Muslim mystics, as a Sufi-like spirit permeates the poem. This poem reflects Eisen’s aspiration to connect Trask’s bohemian simplicity with the beliefs and customs of the people of the land.

The translation of these poems is part of a research project focusing on the Yiddish Writers' Club in the Land of Israel during the British Mandate. Despite their unique situation—living in the Land of Israel while writing in Yiddish—their literary works have received little scholarly attention. However, their distinct perspective led to fascinating reflections on the Yishuv and the relationship between the Diaspora and the Land of Israel, producing texts that offer alternative formulations of modern Jewish identity and its boundaries.

Yed Biran