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Ladino Classes

לאַדינאָ שפּראַך לעקציעס

Are you passionate about Jewish languages and cultures? Dive into the rich world of the Sephardic Jewish tradition through the Ladino language!

Click Here to register to our upcoming classes!
Our Ladino teacher is dressed with a green sleeve, promoting her new classes.
 

Also known as Judeo-Spanish (djudeoespanyol), Ladino is a language that originated from Old Spanish spoken by Jews in Spain before they were forced to leave in 1492. After the expulsion, these Jewish communities moved to places like Turkey, Greece, and North Africa, taking their language with them. Ladino is similar to Spanish from the late 15th century, so it has old-fashioned words and grammar that you won’t find in modern Spanish. Over time, it has picked up words from other languages like Turkish, Greek, Arabic, and French because of the different places where Sephardic Jews lived. Having a centuries-old literary tradition, Ladino is still used by some Sephardic Jewish communities, especially for religious practice and cultural expression.

We are fortunate to be able to offer our students the very rare opportunity to study Ladino from the basics to beyond. Our classes delve into vocabulary, grammar, speaking and reading, even Rashi script! Please explore some of our past offerings below, and check our upcoming sessions here.

What our students say:

I have studied with this teacher 4-5 classes, all excellent. If you know Spanish and can read Hebrew you may find learning Ladino fun and rewarding.

Hatte Blejer

Here’s a fantastic opportunity to take an intermediate-level Ladino course. Today’s the last day to register with the early pasharo (bird) discount!

American Ladino League

I studied with Agnieszka August-Zarebska, she’s great!

Hannah Pressman

SOME OF OUR PAST CLASSES

Please click on any image to learn more.

Ladino for Beginners: Humans and Their Lives. Students learned the vocabulary and basic grammar necessary to talk about human existence. With a photo of Agnieszka August-Zarębska.
Ladino: Letter by Letter, in this beginner-friendly Zoom course, students developed the skills to write, read, and form sentences! Classes were one hour long! Tuesdays on Zoom! Jan 9-Feb. 13, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PT, with a photo of Agnieszka August-Zarębska with a fall tree in the background.
Ladino Reading Course for upper-intermediate students. This new course was based on the short novel La segunda Ester: kuento istoriko (The Second Esther: a Historical Tale), with a photo of Agnieszka August-Zarębska with bookshelves in the background.
Yiddishland Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) for Beginners: Home, City, and the Natural World, with photos of Agnieszka August-Zarębska next to a computer screen and a photo of an old book being read by someone while following with their finger.
Yiddishland Upper-Intermediate Reading Course, Meldamos En Ladino, with photos of Agnieszka August-Zarębska next to a computer screen and a photo of an old book being read by someone while following with their finger.

Please see our Events Calendar and Other Upcoming Events!