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Upcoming Yiddish Classes

ייִדיש שפּראַך לעקציעס

ייִדיש איז דאָך אַזױ שײן. . .

Yiddish awakens the silent echo of forgotten shtetl, a living language that touches the roots of the soul, opening to stories that still resonate in the hearts of those that seek more than words. Yiddish is so beautiful!

Yoga in Yiddish Series: Balance, Gratitude and New Year Intentions 

Join us for a three-part yoga series that combines gentle, grounding yoga with the beauty of Yiddish. Each class is designed to foster wellness and happiness, perfect for beginners or seasoned practitioners looking to deepen their practice. With themes of balance, gratitude, and fresh beginnings, these sessions offer a nurturing way to connect mind and body while focusing on intentionality and well-being. Instruction will be in Yiddish, with English translation provided.

Sundays – November 24, December 22, January 19
8– 9 a.m. PT / 10 – 11 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET / 4 – 5 p.m. UK / 5 – 6 p.m. Central Europe

Online via Zoom

Balance Yoga in Yiddishland
Learn more and register here
Poster for the class Chagal af Yisddish, with a picture of art historian Jennifer Stern and a representative painting of Marc Chagall side by side.
Learn more and register here

Chagall af Yiddish: An Interactive Exploration

Join art historian Jennifer Stern and explore the beauty and importance of Marc Chagall’s art. Chagall (1887-1985) grew up speaking Yiddish in a Jewish community in what is now Belarus. Explore Chagall’s life and Stern’s personal connection to him, and analyze the influence of the artist’s hometown on his paintings’ imagery.

Sunday, November 17, 2024
11 a.m.– 12 p.m. PT / 1-2 p.m. CT / 2-3 p.m. ET / 7-8 p.m. in the UK 9-10 p.m. in Central Europe

Online via Zoom

Yiddish for Absolute Beginners: From Alef-Beys to Basic Conversation 

This 5-session course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Yiddish. You will learn the alphabet and pronunciation, basic vocabulary for everyday situations, and Yiddish songs from the rich transnational Yiddish repertoire. This short, engaging introduction will offer a good start for your Yiddish journey.

Sundays, January 5 – February 2
10:30– 11:30 a.m. PT / 1:30-2:30 PM ET / 7:30-8:30 PM in Central Europe

Online via Zoom

Yiddish for Absolute Beginners poster, with the photo of the teacher Julia Koifman
Learn more and register here
Yiddish for Absolute Beginners poster, with the photo of the teacher Julia Koifman
Learn more and register here

Yiddish for Absolute Beginners: From Alef-Beys to Basic Conversation 

This 5-session course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Yiddish. You will learn the alphabet and pronunciation, basic vocabulary for everyday situations, and Yiddish songs from the rich transnational Yiddish repertoire. This short, engaging introduction will offer a good start for your Yiddish journey.

Sundays, January 5 – February 2
10:30– 11:30 a.m. PT / 1:30-2:30 PM ET / 7:30-8:30 PM in Central Europe

Online via Zoom

Intermediate-Advanced Yiddish class poster with a photo of the teacher Julia Koifman
Learn more and register here

Intermediate-Advanced Yiddish Course 

Students will expand their vocabulary with new phrases and expressions, fine-tune their pronunciation, and gain confidence using Yiddish in diverse situations. We will use interactive activities like role-playing and debates. Additionally, students will learn Yiddish songs that will deepen their understanding of Ashkenazi culture.

Sundays, January 5 – February 2
12:30-1:30 p.m. PT / 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET / 9:30-10:30 pm CEST: Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb 2

Online via Zoom

Yiddish is old and new, pious and rebellious, stateless but international. It was born about a millennium ago in what is today Germany, called Ashkenaz in Jewish texts. It has travelled to wherever Ashkenazi travelled, immigrated, or were exiled. Once the language of millions of Jews, Yiddish is still spoken as a native language by more than a million people. It is studied and spoken by Jews and non-Jews around the world who want to access the vast legacy of literature, music, religious and folk traditions, politics and history, theater, film, and humor that exist only in Yiddish. While Yiddish is written using the Hebrew alphabet, it is a Germanic language, so it is relatively easy for English-speakers to learn.

We have been fortunate to be able to offer our students the rare opportunity to study Yiddish from beginner to advanced. Our classes include reading circles, conversation classes, theater workshops, classes for children, literary analysis, song workshops, and even Yoga. We’ve also organized intensive programs in Yiddish language and culture and a Yiddish teachers’ committee. Please explore some of our past offerings below, and check out our upcoming activities and events calendar for future classes.

SOME OF OUR PAST CLASSES

Please click on any image to learn more.

Past event poster that reads Learn Yiddish through Songs with Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh: Tavern Part 2, with an image of a tavern.
Past class banner advertising Yiddish Art Classes for Children, with an image of a palette and brush, and a photo of the artist Preet Srivastava.
Past event banner advertising Yiddish for Advanced Students, with photos of Miriam Isaacs, Sheva Zucker, and Daniel Galay.
Past events poster advertising Workshops on Yiddish Dialects, with an image of a dialect map.
A past class poster advertising Sha un shtil: a New Yiddish Theater Experiment, with photos of the guest speakers: Mike Burstyn, Yelena Shmulenson, Avi Hoffman, Eleanor Reissa, and Uri Schreter.
A past event poster advertising Not Your Usual Intensive Winter Yiddish Language and Culture Program, with photos of the instructors: Avi Fried, Hershl Glasser, Janina Wurbs, Miriam Isaacs, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, Mike Burstyn, Ruthie Solomon, Tatyana Yakovleva, Shane Baker, and Mark Garellek.
A past event banner advertising Conversational Yiddish for Beginners, with a photo of the teacher Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh.
Past event banner that reads Learn Yiddish through Songs: Food and drinks, with images of a tavern and a bowl of matzo ball soup.
Past event poster advertising Yiddish Syntax, with the photo of the teacher, Katerina Kuznetsova.
A past event banner advertising Yoga in Yiddish with Tanya Yakovleva, Sunday, January 28 at 8 a.m. PT.
Past event banner advertising Yiddish Shmueskrayz, with a photo of the teacher Tamara Gleason Freidberg.
Past event banner advertising conversational Yiddish for Beginners, with a visual of two people lying on the beach, considering taking the class.
Past event poster advertising Yiddish through songs, with a photo of Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh.
A past event banner advertising Yiddish shmueskrayz with Tamara Gleason and Arturo Kerbel, Thursdays October 6 - November 17, with photos of the teachers.
A past event poster advertising Yiddish for Kids, Sunday, March 30, 2022, 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., with an image of children and one adult studying.
Past event poster advertising Let's Talk Yiddish Grammar! with Katerina Kuznetsova, with a photo of the teacher.
A past event poster advertising imigratziye-geshikhtes durkh yidishe oytobiografiyes, Uprooting, leave taking perhaps forever, new dreams and hopes, by Sheva Zucker, with two historical photos and a photo of the teacher, with logos of YAAANA and Yiddishland.
A past event poster advertising Friling glaykhnakht, yoga spring equinox, hosted by Tanya Yakovleva, March 31sh, 8 a.m. PT on Zoom, with YAAANA logo.
A past event poster advertizing Yoga farn hartzn, yoga for the heart, with Tanya Yakovleva, February 25th, 8 p.m. PT on Zoom.
Past event poster advertising a leyenkrayz for intermediate and advanced students with Tanya Yakovleva, with a photo of the teacher.
A past event for Yiddish for Life: An In-Person Course for Beginners
A past event poster advertising Yiddish Love and Erotic Vocabulary Event, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 6:00 p.m., with a silhouette of a couple embracing with the sun setting into (or rising from) the ocean in the background.
A past event poster advertising Water Element Yoga in Yiddish with Tanya Yakovleva.
Past event poster advertising Yiddish for Beginners I with Arturo Kerbel, with a photo of the teacher.
A past event poster advertising Not Your Usual Intensive Summer Yiddish Language & Culture Program, May 31 to June 20, 2021, with the logo of the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America.
A past event poster advertising Not Your Usual Intensive Summer Yiddish Language & Culture Program, May 31 to June 20, 2021, with the logo of the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America.
A past event poster advertising the Yiddish Teachers Committee: Content-Based Learning, with an image of Rebecca Margolis.
A past event poster advertising Libe un erotik: Love and erotic Yiddish vocabulary class, with details as to scheduling and pricing.
Past event banner that reads You are invited to... Yiddish Conversation for Beginners with Avi, Thursdays @ 12:30PM (Pacific) on Zoom.
Past event poster advertising Not Your Usual Intensive Spring Yiddish Language and Culture Program!, with photos of the instructors: Naomi Miller, Daniel Kahn, Yakob Basner, Alejandra Czarny, Miriam Isaacs, Dave Fried, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, Cindy Paley, Elizabeth Schwartz, Sheva Zucker, Tanya Yakovleva, Ruthie Solomin, Yale Strom and Shuli Elisheva.
Past event poster advertising Yiddish Alef Beys Crash Course.
A past event poster advertising Yiddish for beginners, with details.
A past event poster advertising the class Yiddish for Clever Kids, Yidish far kluge kinder, with an image from the Simpsons of a group of children.

Please see our Events Calendar and Other Upcoming Events!