PHOTO BY ERIK AULT

Sunday, February 18, 2024; Nervous Dog Coffee, 2101 Richmond Rd, Beachwood; Jeremy Genovese showing his Esperanto flag, a symbol of the international language. The green represents hope, the white represents peace and the five points on the star represent each of the continents.

by Erik Ault

     (Plain Press March 2024) After almost 100 years of absence, a dedicated Esperanto club has re-formed in the Cleveland area. Guided by Jeremy Genovese, a retired education professor from Cleveland State University, the small group met at Nervous Dog Coffee in Beachwood where they read over poetry and dialogs and discussed Esperanto’s role in the world.

     Esperanto is a language constructed by L.L. Zamenhof, an ophthalmologist from Poland, toward the end of the nineteenth century. He designed it to be easy to learn by anyone with the aim of facilitating communication among dissimilar groups.

     But it is not just another language to learn. “Esperanto” literally means “one who hopes” in the language, and its community has higher aims than simply cultural awareness. As L.L. Zamenhof wrote in his poem La Espero (“The Hope”): “On a neutral language basis, understanding one another, the people will make in agreement one great family circle.”

     Despite persecution by both Hitler and Stalin and continued lack of official recognition, Esperanto is kept alive by an international group of around two million who wish for a world of open communication and peace. Anyone who is interested in joining this community may contact Jeremy at EsperantoVegan@gmail.com.