About Us

װעגן אונדז
Yiddishland Group Picture with Jana and other members.

What is Yiddishland California? 

Yiddishland California is a nonprofit, non-denominational Yiddish cultural center and museum initiative created by the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the State of California, EIN 85-2064877. Its programs are centered in San Diego, California, and La Paz, Mexico, and welcome people of all ages and backgrounds.

Yiddishland California’s mission is to expand awareness of the beauty and joy of Yiddishkeit and to preserve and advance Yiddish language and culture within the US and worldwide. Our events and offerings include concerts, performances, language and art classes, lectures, exhibits, and much more. You can join us from near and far in-person in California, Mexico, as well as online. As we are expanding our reach, we are happy to provide guest speakers and performers – in Yiddish or English – for other locations within the US, Mexico and Europe.

Our long term project is to create an immersive, shtetl-inspired, multigenerational community for Yiddish and non-Yiddish speakers alike. We envision a mixed-usage community that will incorporate  guest rooms and a living museum, where we will host cultural, artistic public and private events, as well as Yiddish cultural retreats and language courses.

VIEW PAGE IN SPANISH (español)
VIEW PAGE IN YIDDISH (יידיש)
a crowd observing the interior of Yiddishland's entrance
a crowd listening to a speaker in the Yiddishland building
a man playing the guitar
four people performing in a theater with excited expressions
Two adults and a baby dressed up in Halloween costumes
the interior of the Yiddishland building filled with artwork and books
a wall of paintings and a flag
the exterior of the Yiddishland building
a woman holding a mic and a man holding a guitar in an outdoor location
Interior of Yiddishland with antique furniture and paintings

Our Future Project

We are hoping to create a mixed-usage community that will incorporate six guest rooms and a museum, detailing the history of shtetlekh (small Jewish towns in Eastern Europe) and of Yiddish-speaking Jews in California. Please click here to learn more.

 

Special Thanks To

  • Ethan Davis, for designing the Yiddishland logo and poster.
  • Terence Mattera, for designing the weekly newsletter.
  • Lin Lin and Kendal Eastwood, for rendering the interiors of the proposed cottages.
  • German Alonso, for coordinating the graphic design and web design teams.
  • Fred Peticucci and Ella Edelstein for sketching the interiors of the rooms.
  • Kalp Champaneri, Aishwarya Suresh and Subah lqbal for rendering the exteriors of the proposed cottages.

Interns and Volunteers

Explore our internship and volunteering offers! We look forward to working with you.

EXPLORE OUR INTERNSHIP OFFERS
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