Yiddishland Goes to LA, Events and Classes, and Vacation Announcement

Dear Friend of YAAANA and Yiddishland California,

We would like to wish you a freylekhn shvues – Happy Shavuot and Memorial Day Weekend! Yiddishland is going to be on vacation from May 24 to 29, so there might be a delay in responding to your emails and phone calls, and no tours can be scheduled. We are excited to share the latest updates regarding events and classes happening afterwards.

• Please save the date for the First Friday Art Walk in La Jolla on June 2, 4 to 7 p.m. We look forward to seeing and entertaining you with fine arts, nosh, wine, and conversation!

• If you would like to book a Yiddishland tour for yourself or your mishpoke or friends before we go on vacation, please click the link below. 

• We have had to reschedule our popular talk “What is Yiddish? Who still speaks Yiddish? Why should we care?” by our founder, Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh, in Der Nister in Downtown Los Angeles. If you are based in Los Angeles or if you have friends or family who live there, we are inviting you to join us on Sunday, June 4, at 3 p.m. Pacific time. Like most of our events, this one will be broadcast on Zoom, and nosh and drinks will be served. Advance registration is required.

• Lastly, we would like to remind you about our summer Zoom classes of Judeo-Spanish, also known as Ladino. Two levels of courses are available, and early bird registration is still active. See below for more information on these courses.

Finally, if you enjoy our programming, we could really use your help to keep our cultural center in downtown La Jolla for one more year.

For additional updates, please visit our webpage. Thank you for your active participation, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

The teams of YAAANA and Yiddishland CA

What is Yiddish? Who still speaks Yiddish? Why should we care?

If you seek answers to these questions, this is an event for you. Learn about the origins and development of Yiddish and get your questions answered by our CEO Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. Drink a glass of wine, enjoy some nosh, and mingle with other people with interest in the Los Angeles area. This event will be broadcast on Zoom.

Cost: sliding scale, the sooner you register the less you pay!

$10 if you register by this Sunday,  May 21 (nosh and drinks included)

$18 if you register between Sunday, May 21 and Friday, June 2 (nosh and drinks included)

$25 if you register after Friday, June 2

$8 for Zoom participation, if you register before Sunday, May 21

$10 for Zoom participation, if you register after Friday, May 21

Where: In-person at Der Nister LA at 639 S Spring St Apt. 14a, Los Angeles, CA and on Zoom

When: Sunday June 4, 3:00-4:30 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. CT, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Instructor: Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh is a PhD candidate in the Slavic Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is working on her dissertation on Yiddish Theater in Communist Warsaw. Originally from Poland, Jana holds a Master of Arts degree in Polish Philology and Jewish Studies from the University of Wrocław. Jana is not only a practicing academic but also an active theater artist and critic. She is an actor, director, playwright, and producer of Yiddish theater. In October 2017, she moved to San Diego and launched the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA), Yiddishland CA, and the Yiddish Theater Academy.

Ladino for Beginners: Home, City and Natural World

During this course, students will become familiar with the vocabulary and basic grammar necessary to describe their home, city, and the natural world. We will read short texts, using both the Latin alphabet and a little bit of Rashi script, write our own poems or microfictions, and sing songs. We hope that this contact with Ladino and Sephardic culture will be enjoyable!

When: Thursdays, starting on Thursday, June 8 at 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT (2:00-3:00 p.m. CT, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET), ending on Thursday July 13. 

Cost:

Early bird (until June 1), $120 for 6 sessions or an individual class for $25

General admission (after June 1), $132 for 6 sessions or an individual class for $30

Where: Online via Zoom

Instructor: Dr Agnieszka August-Zarębska

Agnieszka August-Zarębska is an assistant professor at the Taube Department of Jewish Studies of the University of Wrocław (Poland). She is a specialist in Spanish and Judeo-Spanish contemporary poetry. Her current research concerns 20th and 21st-century poetry in Judeo-Spanish, Sephardic children’s literature and Judeo-Spanish postvernacular culture. At her University she teaches Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language, History and Culture of Sephardic Jews and Sephardic Literature. Moreover, she gave several lectures and workshops at festivals of Jewish culture in Poland as well as on-line for CIDiCSef in Buenos Aires, Cátedra de Estudos Sefarditas Alberto Benveniste (University of Lisbon), Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.

Upper-Intermediate Reading Course “Meldamos En Ladino”

This course is aimed at developing reading skills in Ladino written in Rashi script. We will learn Ladino vocabulary and grammar based on original literary texts from the beginning of the 20th century. This way, we will also get to know Sephardic culture through its literature. To succeed in this course, intermediate knowledge of Ladino or intermediate knowledge of Spanish will be helpful.

When: Mondays, starting on Monday, June 5 at 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT (2:00-3:00 p.m. CT, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET), ending on Monday July 10.

Cost:

Early bird (until June 1), $120 for 6 sessions or an individual class for $25

General admission (after June 1), $132 for 6 sessions or an individual class for $30

Where: Online via Zoom

Instructor: Dr Agnieszka August-Zarębska

Agnieszka August-Zarębska is an assistant professor at the Taube Department of Jewish Studies of the University of Wrocław (Poland). She is a specialist in Spanish and Judeo-Spanish contemporary poetry. Her current research concerns 20th and 21st-century poetry in Judeo-Spanish, Sephardic children’s literature and Judeo-Spanish postvernacular culture. At her University she teaches Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language, History and Culture of Sephardic Jews and Sephardic Literature. Moreover, she gave several lectures and workshops at festivals of Jewish culture in Poland as well as on-line for CIDiCSef in Buenos Aires, Cátedra de Estudos Sefarditas Alberto Benveniste (University of Lisbon), Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.