Yiddishland California

Beginner Juedo-Spanish (Beginner Ladino)
2026-06-02 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Beginner Ladino Course (5 lessons – 1.5 hours per lesson)
This course is designed for students who wish to learn Ladino from the very beginning, whether out of interest in the Sephardi language and culture or because they come from Ladino-speaking Sephardi families but did not have the chance to acquire the language at home. No prior knowledge is required.
Over ten one-and-a-half hour lessons, participants will build basic vocabulary, learn the official Ladino orthography, and develop essential communication skills through everyday topics and fundamental grammar. The course also includes cultural content such as traditional songs, Sephardi geography, and adapted stories of Djohá, as well as special sessions on Moadim among Sephardic Jews. Students will work with materials from both the Sephardi literary tradition and contemporary Ladino sources. The course concludes with a guided conversation and interactive activities to reinforce language and grammar while exploring Ladino today.
When:Tuesdays, June 2 – June 30: 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. PT / 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. CT / 11:00 – 12:30 p.m. ET
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost:
Early Bird: 5 classes for $270 available until Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
Regular: 5 classes for $300
Register for this event
Teacher: Esther Rute
Esther Rute holds a BA in Semitic Philology (Complutense U.) and two MA in Jewish History and Spanish Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI). She is a certified language teacher (HUJI) and Ladino instructor at the Sephardi Community Council of Jerusalem and the Instituto Cervantes in Tel Aviv. She is also the External Advisor to the National Authority for Ladino (ANL) and Deputy Editor of Aki Yerushalayim. Her main position is Head of the International & Israeli Section at the Guiding Department of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.

Yiddish For Kids
2026-06-08 19:00 - 19:45, 2026-06-15 19:00 - 19:45, 2026-06-22 19:00 - 19:45, 2026-06-29 19:00 - 19:45, 2026-07-06 19:00 - 19:45, 2026-07-13 19:00 - 19:45 (America/Los_Angeles)
Yiddish for Kids

Join us at Yiddishland for a fun, interactive journey into the Yiddish language and culture! Through songs, games, movement, and storytelling, children will discover the sounds, words, traditions, and stories that are part of a rich and vibrant cultural heritage. Our classes welcome children of all ages and backgrounds in a warm, inclusive, and joyful environment. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is needed. Everyone is welcome to learn, sing, play, and explore together.
Únase a Yiddishland en una experiencia divertida, creativa e interactiva para acercar a niñas, niños y familias al idioma y la cultura yidis.A través de canciones, juegos, movimiento y cuentos, las y los participantes descubrirán palabras, sonidos, historias y tradiciones que forman parte de una herencia cultural viva. La clase está pensada para niñas y niños de todas las edades y orígenes, en un ambiente cercano, alegre y acogedor.No se necesita conocimiento previo de yidis. Todas las familias son bienvenidas a aprender, cantar, jugar y compartir un primer encuentro con esta cultura.
When: Mondays, June 8, 7:00 p.m. PT-7:45 p.m.
Where: Yiddishland La Paz (exact location available upon RSVP)
Teacher: Jana Mazurkiewicz

Healing Hearts - Yiddishland Support Group
2026-07-09 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Healing Hearts – Yiddishland Support Group
Join Meaghan Fitzsimmons for an hour of guided meditation and energy healing rooted in Jewish spirituality and timeless wisdom. This session focuses on healing trauma and reclaiming your narrative to create a healthier, more grounded context for daily life. Together, we will cultivate inner harmony and share a collective sense of compassion and hope within a Jewish communal framework.
When: 2nd Thursdays of the month — July 9, August 13, September 10,October 8
12–1 p.m. PT / 2–3 p.m. CT / 3–4 p.m. ET / 9–10 p.m. CT / 10–11 p.m. Time in Israel
Where: Online (Zoom)
Cost: Suggested Donation: $5–$36 (sliding scale)Options: $5, $18, $36
Guide: Meaghan Fitzsimmons
Our Coach’s Bio: Meaghan Fitzsimmons holds a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and currently serves as a professional mental health care and lifestyle coach here in La Jolla Village. Her experience in the international field of disaster trauma and group counseling facilitation allow her to support this local Jewish community to share, grieve, and empower each other through these radical times of terrorism, war, and social upheaval.
As a means of giving back and creating a sense of commitment, a $5 – $25 sliding scale donation is requested. Please complete your registration and donation through Humanitix. Your receipt (screenshot or electronic) is requested at the beginning of the meeting. If you cannot make this donation, one will be made on your behalf.

Yiddishland Movie Night
2026-09-24 18:30 - 20:30 (America/La_Paz)
Join us in San Diego for another Yiddishland Movie Night, where we celebrate Yiddish culture through film, conversation, and community.
This time we will once again enjoy a surprise film selection and are delighted to welcome Amelia Glaser as our special guest. After the screening, Amelia will lead a thought-provoking discussion inspired by the film, exploring its historical, literary, and cultural themes.
Gather with fellow lovers of Yiddish language, culture, and cinema for an intimate evening of storytelling, shared history, and meaningful conversation.
📅 Thursday, September 24
⏰ 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time)
📍 Location: Residential venue in Sherman Heights, San Diego, CA
Address: The exact address will be provided upon registration.
🎟 Early Bird: $10(if registered before September 10, 2026)
🎟 Regular Admission: $18
Register for this event
We look forward to seeing you there!

Special Guest: Amelia Glaser
Amelia Glaser is a Professor of Literature at UC San Diego and a scholar of Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Russian literature. She holds a chair in Judaic Studies and is the author of, among other things, Songs in Dark Times: Yiddish Poetry of Struggle from Scottsboro to Palestine (Harvard UP, 2020). She is currently writing a book about contemporary Ukrainian poetry.

Jews and Jazz – a Talk by Yale Strom
2026-10-11 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Denver) | Zoom
Jews and Jazz, a lecture by Yale Strom, explores the fascinating relationship between Jewish and African American musicians, lyricists, composers, and producers during the 1920s–40s. In the world of jazz, these two minority communities found common ground, creating collaborations that helped shape American music and culture.
For many Jews, particularly those from immigrant and working-class backgrounds, and for African Americans confronting systemic poverty and segregation, music offered a rare path to artistic expression, professional opportunity, and public recognition. During the swing era, Jewish bandleaders such as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw performed with African American musicians including Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton at a time when racial segregation remained widespread in American public life.
When: Sunday, October 11, 2026, 11:00 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. PT / 1:00–2:30 p.m. CT / 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Online (Zoom)
Cost:
Early bird pricing: $20 (if registered before September 27, 2026)
Regular pricing: $25
Register for this event
Artist Name: Yale Strom
Artist’s Bio:
Yale Strom (violin) is one of the world’s leading ethnographer-artists of klezmer and Romani music and history. With a master’s degree in Yiddish Studies, he has conducted extensive ethnographic research across Eastern Europe on Jewish and Romani musical culture.
His fieldwork shaped the repertoire of his klezmer band Hot Pstromi and informed his work directing 10 award-winning documentary films, including The Last Klezmer (Oscar short-list).
Strom has written 15 books and two award-winning audio dramas, recorded 20 CDs, and presented numerous photo exhibitions in North America and Europe. His latest documentary, Recordially Yours: Lou Curtiss (2023), explores the life of San Diego audiophile-ethnomusicologist Lou Curtiss; he is currently developing a musical on Marc and Bella Chagall. Strom was Artist-in-Residence in Jewish Studies at San Diego State University (2006–2020). He now teaches in the Music Department and previously taught at New York University. His first historical novel, The Autobiography of the Offenbacher, will be published in 2026.

Forging Survival: Operation Bernhard and the Holocaust
2026-11-08 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Jeremy Stern will talk about Operation Bernhard, a German scheme to counterfeit British bank notes during World War II. Jewish prisoners were forced to become counterfeiters for the Nazi state. The Nazis hoped to use forged British paper money both to finance their agents across Europe and to undermine the British economy. Skilled Jewish captives were ordered to operate a makeshift forgery factory at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Their only choice was to produce convincing counterfeits for the SS, or to die. The conscripted forgers made astonishingly close copies of British notes, with only a few subtle errors. The prisoners faced a deadly dilemma: risk finishing the work and face certain death, or play for time and risk the SS deciding the scheme was no longer worth the trouble. Finally, the operation fell to pieces as the German war effort failed, leaving the forgers’ fate hanging on the decisions and self-interest of the scheme’s SS commander.
When : Sunday, Nov 8, 2026, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. PT / 1–2 p.m. CT / 2–3 p.m. ET
Where : Zoom
Cost :
Early bird : $18 (if registered before Sunday, October 25, 2026)
Regular admission : $25
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About the Speaker :
Jeremy A. Stern, Ph.D. is an independent historian, writer, and history educator. In addition to consulting on educational standards and content across the country, he has written and spoken for both popular and professional audiences on a wide range of historical subjects. He has long been intrigued by the story of Operation Bernhard, especially since he acquired an original forged Bernhard note – a rare direct physical trace from the Nazi camps.

Beyond the Muse: The Life and Memoirs of Bella Chagall
2027-02-14 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This lecture will include historical context, readings from Bella Chagall’s memoirs, and illustrations by Marc Chagall.
When: Sunday, February 14, 2027, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT / 1:00–2:30 p.m. CT / 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET / 7:00–8:30 p.m. UK / 8:00–9:30 p.m. Central Europe
Where: Online (Zoom)
Cost:
Early Bird Pricing: $18 (if registered before January 31, 2027)
Regular Pricing: $25
Register for this event
Speaker Name: Jennifer Stern
Speaker Bio:
Jennifer Stern lives near Boston, Massachusetts. She holds an M.A. in Art History from Yale University and worked for 26 years in the Art History Department at Brandeis University. She writes about art and culture in both English and Yiddish for the Forverts. Jennifer has presented numerous lectures on Jewish art, history, and culture, bringing historical subjects to life through engaging storytelling and thoughtful analysis. Her presentations combine art history with Jewish cultural heritage, making them accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.
