Yiddish Institutes and Programs

Jordan Kutz has a twitter feed for Yiddish programs.

Please send updates for the list here to Raphael Finkel (without the underscore). You might also be interested in my Yiddish resources page and in Der Bay's calendar of events.

Table of contents
Yearly events
Yearly events, not yet past
Continuing programs
Degree programs
Regularly scheduled Yiddish classes

Yearly events

  1. National Yiddish Book Center. The National Yiddish Book Center will hold its 14th annual summer program in Jewish culture 28 June - 3 July, 1998. Some of the greatest Jewish teachers from around the world will be on hand. This week-long whirlwind of learning and adventure features morning lectures in Jewish history and modern Yiddish literature in English translation, followed by afternoon, small-group workshops in Yiddish language (at levels from beginners to experts), Yiddish music, theater and more. Evening events include films, music, live theater and a graduation dance. Facutly includes Mendy Cahan, Henia Lewin, Sabell Bender, Mina Bern.H, Leonard B. Glick. The entire program will take place on the campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Kosher food. All ages are welcome. Lectures are in English; no knowledge of Yiddish is required.
    Cost is US$650, which includes tuition, fees, reading materials, food and lodging in Prospect Hall. Partial scholarships on the basis of need as well as merit scholarships for college and graduate students are available. Contact: 
    Ms. Pearl-Anne Margalit
National Yiddish Book Center
1021 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002-3375
USA
tel: 800-535-3595, 413-266-4900 x 116
fax: 413-256-4700
email: events@bikher.org
http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/center/index.html.
  2. Chernovits (Ukraine) Symposium. The World Conference for Jewish Culture, headed by Gerson Vayner, will host a symposium in Chernovits (Ukraine) 3-5 July 1998 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first Chernovits Language Conference. The Chair will be Yoysef Burg (Chernovits); also participating will be Volf Moskovich (Jerusalem), Dzh. Alerhand (Vienna), and Dov Noy (Jerusalem). The symposium expects about a hundred delegates from Eastern Europe. Contact: 
    World Conference for Jewish Culture
P.O. Box 11676
Tel-Aviv 61116
ISRAEL
tel: +972-3-522-7058
fax: +972-3-523-0520
  3. KlezKamp West. Living Traditions is organizing KlezKamp West: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program, to be held 9 - 14 August 1998 at Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, California. Now celebrating its 13th season on the East Coast, KlezKamp is a Yiddish cultural event, an innovative, exciting mix of intensive classes, concerts, lectures, jam sessions, dancing, films and children's programming. Living Traditions brings KlezKamp back to California for the first time since 1989.

    Staff will include some of the finest practitioners of Yiddish culture, including musicians Lauren Brody, Margot Leverett, Merlin Shepherd, Alicia Svigals, Mark Rubin, Zalmen Mlotek and Adrienne Cooper. Yiddish language classes will be taught by Harvey Varga, Eli Katz and Michael Wex. Yiddish music history will be presented by Professor Martin Schwartz, while Henry Sapoznik will offer a unique look into the story of Yiddish radio. The KlezKids programs will be supervised by Debby Cohen-Mlotek together with Gerry Tenney, Shari Davis and Benny Ferdman.

    The site, Walker Creek Ranch, is located in Marin County one hour north of San Francisco. The fee includes all classes and activities, accommodations ranging from semi-private double occupancy to bunk-style housing, and three meals per day, including vegetarian options. Contact:

    
livetrads@aol.com
Living Traditions
45 E. 33rd street
New York, NY 10016
USA
  4. Ashkenaz: A day of Yiddish culture The Ashkenaz Foundation will present a day of Yiddish culture on 6 September, 1998, 12-8PM, at the Israel at 50 Pavilion, National Trade Centre, Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, Canada. The event will be a celebration of Eastern European Yiddish (Jewish) roots through music, comedy, film and song. Featured artists include the popular Winnepeg klezmer band Finjan, Arab-Yiddish fusion quartet Medina, Yiddish singer Beth Anne Cole, and comedienne Deb Filler along with a series of short films on Yiddish and Israeli subjects. Contact: 
    ASHKENAZ
642 King Street West
Suite 202
Toronto
Ontario M5V 1M7 
Canada
tel: 416-703-6892
fax: 416-703-5489
www.ashkenaz.org
email:  brosen@echo-on.net (Bruce Rosensweet)
  5. Yiddishkayt! Beginning 18 October 1998, Yiddishkayt! will present the West Coast's largest-ever festival celebrating the vibrancy of Yiddish and its renaissance in contemporary culture in Los Angeles. This is an eight-day festival that features a cross-cultural melange of klezmer and mariachi music and the U. S. Premiere of the innovative theatrical event: The Memoirs of Glückel of Hameln. Staged throughout the city, Yiddishkayt! brings together renowned performers locally and from across the United States in a delightfully eclectic assortment of more than twenty-four separate events. American theatrical premieres, cabaret, symphonic music, films, art exhibitions, and cross-cultural collaborations like a Klezmer/Mariachi concert. It culminates in a free family festival on Sunday, 25 October, 1998 at the watercourt in downtown's California Plaza. The one-day extravaganza includes an array of foods, crafts, hands-on kids' workshops, storytelling, and two stages packed with entertainment for all ages. 
    tel: 323-692-8151, Susan Martin 310-315-2889
web: www.yiddishkaytla.org
email: APCARS@aol.com (Aaron Paley)
  6. Mame-Loshn 1999. Mame-Loshn 1999 will be Thursday May 27 to Monday May 31, 1999 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, USA. Classes, workshops, concerts. Participating: Chava Lapin (director of education at the Workmen's Circle), Pessach Fiszman (one of the best loved Yiddish teachers in the United States), Naomi Hirsch (international virtuoso and cantor), Adina Cimet (Doctor of Sociology and Yiddishist from Mexico), Miriam Hoffman (weekly contributor in the Forverts and important Yiddish playwrite), Michael Alpert (world famous klezmer musician and exciting ethnomusicologist), Jeffrey Warschauer (klezmer musician and expert mandolin player), Debra Strauss (virtuoso violinist), Pearl Gluck (filmmaker...she appeared in the film "A Life Apart"), Daniel Soyer (author and professor) and Iosif Vaisman (moderator of Mendele, the only Yiddish computer disscussion group), Professor Morris Moskowitz (head of The Department of Hebraic Studies at Rutgers), Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman (Poet, teacher and Yiddish songwriter), Troim Handler (Yiddish poet and writer), Boris Sandler (Editor of The Yiddish Forward), Gershon Jacobson (Founder of The Algemeiner Journal), Yosef Y. Jacobson (Columnist and Book Review editor of The Algemeiner Journal). Contact: 
    http://members.aol.com/Karlick/Mameloshn.html
wcfriends@aol.com
  7. In the Footsteps of Hassidic Masters and Yiddish Authors. A Yiddish/Jewish literary folkloristic tour in Yiddish will take place in Ukraine 12 June - 19 July 1999. The group, sponsored by the World Council for Yiddish Culture, will be led in Yiddish by the Yiddish Folklore expert, Professor Dov Noy (Jerusalem) accompanied by Mordke Yushkovski and other lecturers and artists. The tour will include Kiev (Babi Har, Podol, synagogues), Berditshev (gravesite of Levi Yitskhok, places described in Der Nister's novel, "The Family Mashber"), Mezhirech, Kitev, Uman, Bratzlav, Vinnitza, Mohilev-Podolsky, Pechera, Bershad, Shargorod, Medzibezh, Nemirov, Yaltushkov, Viznitsa, Sadigura, Kiev, and Chernovits.
    Price from Israel (including flight): US$1556. Price for the tour only: US$957. Scholarship of $200 available to faculty and students of Yiddish studies. Contact: 
    Groutas Tours
71 Ben Yehuda Street
Tel Aviv
tel: +972-3-5270142
fax: +972-3-523-5025
  8. Yiddish on the Continent. "Yiddish on the Continent", sponsored by the Martin Buber Institute, affiliate to the Free University of Brussels, presents a seminar that includes folksinging and theater, evening lectures, and visits to Jewish sites in Brussels, Antwerp and Malines. Dates: July 5-16, 1999. Language classes are predominantly in Yiddish. Cost: BF$12,000 (about US$315). Deadline: May 15, 1999. Contact: 
    Evelyne Freschel
Martin Buber Institute
Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 17
1050 Brussels
tel: 02/650.33.48 (9-12:30)
fax: 02/650.33.47
e-mail: ereicher@ulb.ac.be
  9. Ashkenaz 99. The Ashkenaz Foundation will present ASHKENAZ 99, A festival of new Yiddish culture, 30 August - 6 September 1999 at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada. 
    ASHKENAZ
642 King Street West
Suite 202
Toronto
Ontario M5V 1M7 
Canada
tel: 416-703-6892
fax: 416-703-5489
www.ashkenaz.org
email:  brosen@echo-on.net (Bruce Rosensweet)
  10. 13th Days of Jewish Culture in Munich. The 13th Days of Jewish Culture in Munich organized by the Society for the Promotion of Jewish Culture and Tradition will focus on Jewish culture in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic 60 years after the outbreak of World War II. Experts from these countries will lecture during a symposium on the present situation of Jewish life and the achievements since the cease of communism 10 years ago. A round-table discussion will deal with future chances for Jewish life and culture in Eastern Europe. 
    November 13-16: movies, documentaries: Filmmuseum at the Muenchner Stadtmuseum
November 17-December 12: historic photographs: Aspekte Galerie, Gasteig
November 21, 3 p.m, Symposium: Black Box, Gasteig, Munich
November 22: Wvita Wiecki reports on situation of Yiddish;
	Rafael Goldwaser performs one-man show: 8:30pm, Black Box, Gasteig, Munich
Tickets: Muenchen ticket phone ++49-89-54 81 81 81 fax ++49-89-54 81 81 54
Information: Gesellschaft zur Foerderung juedischer Kultur e.V.
	phone: ++49-89-22 12 53
Contact person: Evita Wiecki mw41438@mucweb.de
  11. McGill University summer course: May 1 - 31, 2000 Intensive Yiddish 135-480C: An advanced course designed to extend skills in speaking, reading, and writing Yiddish. A comprehensive literature component is included. 
    E. Frank or A. Gonshor, Department of Jewish Studies. tel: 514-398-6546.
Registration Info:
	Admissions Recruitment and Registrar's Office
	Room 205, James Administration Building
	847 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 3N6
	tel:  514-398-3117
Residence Info:   tel: 514-398-8299
Off-Campus Housing:  tel: 514-398-6010, fax: 514-398-6770
E-mail:  Reserve@Residence.Lan.McGill.Ca
  12. University of Washington summer course: June 19 - July 19, 2000 German 406A, Intensive Elementary Yiddish, 8 credits, MTWThF, 9:40 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Intensive study of Yiddish grammar, with oral and written drills and reading of selected texts. Several Yiddish cultural events and public programs will accompany the course, including conversations with native speakers, films, visiting speakers, and Yiddish music. Students may earn an additional two credits in Jewish cultural studies by registering for SISJE 490. 
    tel: (206) 543-4580
e-mail: uwgerman@u.washington.edu
  13. World Yiddish Summit: November 5 - 9, 2000. The World Yiddish Summit will take place in Strasbourg, France, as a prelude to the European Center for Yiddish Cultures, scheduled to open in Strasbourg November 2003 - March 2004. The Yiddish Summit will be divided into two parts: a scholarly part, in the form of an international colloquium, and a cultural part composed of film shows, exhibitions and various theatrical, musical and song performances given by artists from several countries. The scholarly colloquium will take place at the Council of Europe, while the cultural events will generally be held at the Scala regional cultural center of Strasbourg. 
    Centre europeen des cultures yiddish
BP 1049 - 1050 F
67070 Strasbourg cedex - France
tel: 00 33 (0)3 88 43 61 74
fax: 00 33 (0)3 88 60 90 30
e-mail: polivier@cus-strasbourg.net
  14. Isaac Babel Conference: December 1-3, 2000. The National Yiddish Book Center will host a conference on the stories, legacy and fate of Isaac Babel, presented by Professor Gregory Freidin of Stanford University. Lectures will cover a wide range of topics, from Freudian thought to Russian imperialism, to explain why Babel continues to be one of the most influential Jewish modernist writers of our time. Complementing the lectures will be workshop-style discussions and a screening of the restored 1927 film Benya Krik, written by Babel. Cost: US$290/person, including registration and food (milkhik kosher), but not lodging. 
    contact: Pearl-Anne Margalit
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building
1021 West Street,
Amherst, MA
USA
tel: (+1)413-256-4900 ext. 116
e-mail: pmargalit@bikher.org
web: www.yiddishbookcenter.org
  15. Women's Yiddish Voices Conference: February 24-25, 2001. Yiddishkayt Los Angeles and the University of Southern California's Center for Feminist Research hosts a Women's Yiddish Voices Conference (in English) in Los Angeles, California, USA. Speakers include Dr. Kathryn Hellerstein, Troim Katz Handler, and Irena Klepfisz. 
    email: yiddishkaytla@eathlink.net
web: www.yiddishkaytla.org
tel: +1-323-692-8151
  16. S. Ansky conference: March 18-19, 2001. "Between Two Worlds: S. Ansky at the Turn of the Century, an International Conference," will take place at Stanford University. Sponsored by Jewish Studies and jointly organized by faculty in History and Slavic Languages and Literatures, the conference will address the writings and the legacy of Shloyme-Zanvl Rappaport/Semyon Akimovich Ansky, an ethnographer, populist, and writer in Russian and Yiddish who is best known for his play, "The Dybbuk". The conference will be free and open to the public. 
    e-mail: Gabriella Safran
web: www.stanford.edu/group/Ansky/ansky.html
  17. Festival of Yewish Culture in Cracow: June 30 - July 8, 2001. The Jewish Culture Festival in Cracow from June 30 - July 8 features appearances by 128 performers and guests, 13 concerts, and 92 other events. Festival events take place on the stages of theatres in the heart of historical Cracow and in the synagogues, streets, and squares of Kazimierz, the fourteenth-century Jewish district. This festival, a forum for Polish-Jewish dialogue, has been convening yearly since 1991. Events are centered around musical performances, workshops (including Yiddish, in addition to cultural), lectures (in English and maybe Polish), film, theater, and art exhibitions. 
    tel/fax: +48-12-429-2573, +48-12-431-1517, +48-12-431-1535
email: office@jewishfestival.pl
web: http://www.jewishfestival.pl/index_en.html
  18. KlezFest in St. Petersburg: July 8-12, 2001. The Center for Jewish Music of the Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg, Russia hosts KlezFest every year (starting 1996). KlezFest is an international seminar on traditional musical culture of East-European Jewry. It includes master classes in Yiddish folk songs and klezmer music, workshops on Yiddish folklore and Yiddish dance, lectures, concerts, two excursions, 'Jewish St. Petersburg' and 'White Nights in St. Petersburg'. The staff includes well-known and talented performer/teachers from New York, Zalmen Mlotek and Adrienne Cooper, and the the brilliant Klezmer clarinetist from London, Merlin Shepherd, as well as Leonid Sonts, the leader of 'Simcha', the only professional Klezmer band in Russia.
    The program is open to lovers of Yiddish music and culture from around the globe. The cost ("contribution") is US$500 (for speakers of Russian or Yiddish, $400), which includes food and lodging in St. Petersburg for 5 days and all seminar programs, including concerts and the two excursions. Participants must pay their own transportation to St. Petersburg. Contact: 
    Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg
fax: +7-812-314-5117
email: frenk@lea.spb.su
Travel and visa arrangements: Jewish Community Development Fund
	+1-212-273-1643, -1642, jcdf@ajws.org
  19. Annual Summer Yiddish Program at Oxford: July 8 - 27, 2001. Oxford University offers its annual summer course. You can design your own individual program from a choice of 30 modules. There are five tracks: two beginners, intermediate, advanced, and specialist. Afternoon lectures are presented in Yiddish and English. North American students can usually transfer credits to their university transcripts. 
    Oxford Institute for Yiddish Studies
Golden Cross Court
4 Cornmarket
Oxford, OX1 3EX
United Kingdom
tel: +44-1865-798989
fax: +44-1865-798987
e-mail: yiddishstudies@oxf-inst.demon.co.uk
web: http://www.oxfordyiddish.org
  20. Klezmer and Yiddish Song Workshops in the Netherlands: July 19-22, 2001. Songs, instrumental music, special techniques, dances, lectures, storytelling with 4 outstanding Klezmer music and Yiddish song coaches: Shura Lipovsky, Monique Lansdorp, Deborah Strauss, Jeff Warschauer. For singers and instrumentalists (all instruments are welcome). Registration ends on May 20th, 2001 
    email: mailto:info@tulipart.nl
web: www.intermusica.org
  21. Advanced Seminar in Yiddish Studies: June 24-July 12, 2002. The 3nd International advanced seminar in Yiddish Studies will be in New York at the Jewish Theological Seminary campus. Organizers: Avrom Nowersztern and David Roskies. The Seminar is intended for graduate and post-graduate students in the fields of Yiddish and Eastern European Jewish culture and history. It will consist of intensive and advanced study of Yiddish literature, culture, and language, and will take place entirely in Yiddish. Application deadline: February 28, 2002. Acceptance date: March 31, 2002. Interested applicants should submit an letter, in Yiddish, containing a brief biography and description of their research and interests, to nowers@shum.cc.huji.ac.il or daroskies@jtsa.edu . Also send a University transcript to 
    Ms. Rebecca Margolis
Box 100
Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027-4649
USA
  22. Second International Klezfest in London: July 21-25, 2002 A 5-day intensive program of Klezmer music and dance. A faculty of over 20 of the most outstanding musicians from Europe and the USA including Zalmen Mlotek, Adrienne Cooper, Merlin Shepherd, Zev Feldman, Jeff Warschauer, Deborah Strauss, Frank London, Michael Wex, Steve Greenman, and Christian Dawid. 
    tel: +44 20 8909 2445
email: klezfest@jmi.org.uk
email: otazoy@jmi.org.uk
web: http://www.jmi.org.uk
  23. Yiddish course for advanced students: July 29 - August 2, 2002. An intensive Yiddish course for advanced students will be offered in Yiddish at the University of Düsseldorf. This course will deal with the following topics: 1) The History of Yiddish: Scholarship and Ideology - Dr. Gennady Estraikh 2) "Tevye der milkhiker": Text and context - Dr. Michail Krutikov 3) "Tsenerene": Women's Literature? - Dr. Marion Aptroot Contact: 
    Univ.-Prof. Dr. Marion Aptroot
Abteilung für Jiddische Kultur, Sprache und Literatur
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Universitätsstr. 1/ Geb. 23.03
40225 Düsseldorf
Germany
email: jiddisch@phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de
Web page (in German)
fax: +49-211-811-2027
tel: +49-211-811-3228/4292/4293
  24. Winter Yiddish Intensive Program: December 14-21, 2002. The third Winter Intensive Yiddish Program will take place in Marina del Ray, CA, USA, December 14-21, 2002. It is titled "Bridge with Canada", and will be a one-week immersion, including theater, film, and song. 
    tel: +1 310 745-1190
fax: +1 310 745-1179
e-mail: miriam@yiddishinstitute.org
web: www.yiddishinstitute.org
  25. Charlotte Yiddish Institute: August 14 - 17, 2003. The Charlotte Yiddish Institute at the Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, USA will feature Cantor Robert Abelson, Joyce Rozenzweig, and Yale Strom. Highlights include lectures in Yiddish and English, concerts, Yiddish language workshops, religious services, Yiddish book and gift shop, outstanding Southern hospitality, and kosher food all in a glorious mountain setting. 
    Baila Pransky, Coordinator
tel: +1-704-366-5007
email: GPransky@aol.com
web: www.charlotteyiddishinstitute.com
Charlotte Yiddish Institute / JCC
5007 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC 28226

    tel: Sylvia Schildt (+1) 410-298-4765
e-mail: creativa@charm.net
web: www.derbay.org
  26. Klezfest in Miami, Florida: October 15-18, 2003. The theme this year is "Celebrating the Music of Eastern European Jewry from the Old World to Our World" . The Center for Yiddish Culture presents the leading Klezmer band in the country, the Klezmer Conservatory Band, from the New England School of Music in conjunction with Festival Miami on Thursday night, October 16th at Gusman Concert Hall. There will also be a concert, Celebrating South Florida Klezmer featuring the nationally acclaimed Klezmer Company Kvintet, the Klezmiamians and special guest star, Charlotte Cooper. 
    Center for Yiddish Culture
PO Box 14-0820
Coral Gables, FL 33114-0820
phone: (+1) (305) 774-9244
email: info@yiddishculture.org
web: www.yiddishculture.org
  27. Annual summer Institute on Yiddish and Yiddishkeit, August 2-19, 2004. The Israeli National Authority for Yiddish Culture announces its annual Institute on Yiddish and Yiddishkeit, a three week program of intensified Jewish studies utilizing Yiddish as the medium of instruction and communication. Dates: August 3-19, 2004. Place: Kiev, Ukraine, with classes, residence and dining facilities for all students and faculty on one campus. Studies: Yiddish language (at three levels), literature and folklore, Jewish musical and drama, the Bible and religious tradition. Cost: US$520 which covers tuition, room and board (kosher), textbooks, and tours. Airfare extra. Applicants should indicate: full name, year of birth, home address and phone, occupation, place of work or study, level of knowledge in Yiddish (on a five-point scale: from 1 - minimal up to 5 - maximal). Deadline: June 15. Contact: 
    email: jfu@silvercom.net
  28. Yiddish Sof-Vokh Oystralye: August 20-22, 2004. A week-end retreat in the Dandenong mountains outside of Melbourne, modeled after the Yugntruf Yiddish Vokh. 
    cost: A$240 private, A$199 shared
web: http://www.jewishaustralia.com
tel: +61 3 9578 1686
email: mzylberman@tpg.com.au
  29. Summer School, Jewish Music of Central Europe, Paris, August 27 - 31, 2004. The Maison de la Culture Yiddish in Paris presents a program of klezmer studies, in English and French (but not Yiddish), with workshops in vocal and instrumental interpretation, master classes, lectures, and jam sessions. The course fee if 320 Euros. 
    web: www.yiddishweb.com
e-mail: estelle@yiddishweb.com
  30. Ashkenaz Festival, Toronto, August 30 - September 6, 2004. The Ashkenaz Festival has acts and artists from across Canada, the United States, South America, and Europe, with academics, musicians, actors, and artists. 
    455 Spadina Avenue
Suite 303
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5S 2G5
Tel: 416-979-9901, 416-979-8328
Fax: 416-979-4059
web: http://ashkenazfestival.com
email: ashkenaz@ashkenazfestival.com
  31. Seventh Annual Yiddish Symposium in Germany: October 4-6, 2004. This symposium is organized by the Programs in Yiddish at the universities of in Trier and Düsseldorf and alternates yearly between their sites. The 2004 symposium will be held at the Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf. Most talks are in German; the rest are in Yiddish. There is no registration fee. 
    Univ.-Prof. Dr. Marion Aptroot
Abteilung für Jiddische
Institut für Jüdische Studien
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Universitätsstr. 1/ Geb. 23.03
40225 Düsseldorf
Germany
email: jiddisch@phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de
http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/jiddisch
Tel: +44/(0)651-201-2325
Fax: +49/(0)211-811-2027
  32. KlezKamp: December 26-31, 2004. Living Traditions is organizing the 20th annual KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program, to be held at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, Kerhonkson, New York. KlezKamp is a Yiddish cultural event, an innovative, exciting mix of intensive classes, concerts, lectures, jam sessions, dancing, films and children's programming. Staff will include some of the finest practitioners of Yiddish culture. 
    Living Traditions
45 E. 33rd street
New York, NY 10016
USA
tel: 212-532-8202
fax: 212-691-1657
web: www.klezkamp.org
email: info@livingtraditions.org
  33. Vilnius Yiddish Educator Seminar: May 6-20, 2005. The Educator Seminar brings together four educators: Miriam Hoffman (Columbia University), Dovid Katz (Vilnius University), Dov-Ber Kerler (University of Indiana at Bloomington), Yitskhok Niborski (Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris). Participants must be professional teachers or teachers-in-training in a recognized institution. All participants will be taught by all four instructors. To apply for a place in the program, applicants should write a letter of application explaining their current employment and plans for introduction or enhancement of their Yiddish language teaching in the framework of their appointments. Enclose a current curriculum vitae and arrange for two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a dean, director, principal or other recognized academic supervisor from the your current institution. The tuition fee is US $1800, which entitles applicants to full participation in the program, copies of all study materials, and appropriate university credit upon successful completion of the academic requirements. Participants are responsible for their travel, lodging and meals; program staff can assist with information on the available options and logistical support. A number of tuition scholarships are available. Information: 
    Olga Bliumenzon 
web: www.yiddisheducator.com
tel: +3705 268-7187
fax: +3705 268-7186
  34. International Association of Yiddish Clubs: June 2-5, 2005. The International Association of Yiddish Clubs will hold its annual conference in Minneapolis. 
    web: http://MinneapolisYiddishVinkl.org
e-mail: annalee26@aol.com
  35. Ot Azoy: One week Yiddish program, London: July 17-22, 2005. Classes from beginner through advanced Yiddish, taught by Khayele Beer Director (UCL), Peysakh Fiszman, Sonya Pinkusowitz, Shura Lipovsky. 
    web: www.jmi.org.uk
tel: +44-20-8909-2445
email: jewishmusic@jmi.org.uk
  36. Klezfest in Kiev, Ukraine: August 11-25, 2005. Klezfest Ukraine is a program including music classes in Yiddish song, klezmer instrumental style, and new Jewish composition, Yiddish classes at levels from beginner through advanced, nightly klezmer jam sessions with singing and dancing, as well as mini concerts during the day, and more. Performers (vocalists and musicians), members of Jewish music bands and composers who use elements of traditional Jewish music are invited to take part. Application deadline June 15, 2004. Participation fee USD$500, or $400 if you speak Russian and/or Yiddish. 
    The Center for Jewish Education in Ukraine
6 Kurska St., Room 37, 03049, Kiev, Ukraine
email: center@cjeu.carrier.kiev.ua
web: http://romashka.net/klezfest
Travel and visa arrangements: Jewish Community Development Fund
	+1-212-273-1643, -1642, jcdf@ajws.org
phone: +380-44 248-3670, 248-3634, 248-5377.
fax: +380-44 248-3670, 248-5377
  37. Annual intensive Yiddish summer course at Boston University: May 17 - June 28, 2006 Classes will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 6-8:30 pm. The instructor is David Braun. 
    web: http://www.bu.edu/summer/international/courses/yiddish.shtml
e-mail: dbraun@fas.harvard.edu
  38. Intensive beginner course in Yiddish language and culture: Ottawa, Canada, May 3 - June 12, 2007 This highly intensive course provides a multifaceted introduction to Yiddish, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, and speaking. The course features a strong cultural component that includes folklore, music, literature, film, and theatre. The course is geared at anyone seeking to acquire a solid foundation in Yiddish, including university students, scholars, researchers, musicians, genealogists, and individuals with a personal interest. Instructor: Rebecca Margolis of the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program. Open to all University of Ottawa students. Students registered at other universities may enrol with a letter of permission from their home universities. The course is open to non-University students as Special Students. Please note that auditors are not permitted. 
    web: http://www.canada.uottawa.ca/en/vered.htm
tel: (613) 562-5800 #3231
e-mail:hmessadh@uOttawa.ca
  39. Annual Tel Aviv University Program in Yiddish: June 24 - July 19, 2007 Tel Aviv University will offer a full-fledged Yiddish Summer Program with accredited Yiddish language and literature classes (from beginners to advanced) in the mornings and a rich cultural component in the afternoon and evenings. The course is geared toward students, but is open to participants of all ages and backgrounds who have a genuine wish to study Yiddish intensively for one month. Academic directors: Prof. Avraham Nowershtern, Director, Beth Shalom Aleichem and Prof. Hana Wirth-Nesher, Director of the Goldreich Family Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture. Cost: US$1200 for tuition, US$300 for housing, and a US$60 registration fee. Contact: 
    web: http://www.telavivuniv.org/programs/summer.htm#Yiddish
e-mail: yiddish@post.tau.ac.il
  40. Columbia/Yivo Yiddish Summer Program: June 25 - August 3, 2007. The Uriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture takes place annually on the Columbia University campus. The program, jointly sponsored by the Max Weinreich Center of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and Columbia University, is a six-week, non-matriculating, three-credit college course offered on four levels: elementary, intermediate I, intermediate II and advanced. The program proper will be preceded by an optional two-week review session for intermediate and advanced students beginning on June 10. Elementary students with no reading or writing knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet are required to attend a one-day reading and writing workshop on Sunday, June 22. The deadline for receipt of scholarship materials is 21 March. For an application including information on housing and partial scholarships, contact: 
    Yankl Salant
Director of Yiddish Language Programs
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
USA
tel: +1-212-998-8981
e-mail: yivoyiddish@yivo.cjh.org.
web: http://www.nyu.edu/fas/summer/yivo
  41. International Association of Yiddish Clubs: August 3-6, 2007. The International Association of Yiddish Clubs will hold its annual conference in Cleveland, OH, USA. All breakfasts and afternoon breaks will be kosher. Kosher options available for all meals at additional cost. Contact: 
    web: http://www.derbay.org/cleveland/
email: fishl@derbay.org
  42. Fourth Yiddish Summer University in Alsace: August 6-17, 2007. A Yiddish summer program, "Yiddish in Alsace", will be conducted in Strasbourg, France. It will be led by Rafael Goldwaser. There will be language courses at three levels, workshops in Yiddish theater, klezmer song and dance, and Jewish cooking. Afternoon programs will be dedicated to the history of Jews in Alsace and their traditions. There will be opportunities to visit locales connected with Jewish life in Alsace over the years. There will also be films, concerts, and theatrical productions. Cost (tentative): 380 Euro (280 for students). 
    tel: +33 3 69 57 43 37
e-mail: goldwaserrafael@neuf.fr
Espace Neher
23, rue Sellenick
67 100 Strasbourg
France
  43. Yivo Yiddish Summer Program: June 29 - August 6, 2009. The Uriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture takes place at New York University. The program, jointly sponsored by the Max Weinreich Center of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and New York University, is a six-week, non-matriculating, three-credit college course offered on four levels: elementary, intermediate I, intermediate II and advanced. For an application including information on housing and partial scholarships, contact: 
    Yiddish Language Programs
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
USA
tel: +1-212-294-6139
fax: +1-212-292-1892
e-mail: Hershl Glasser
web: http://www.yivo.org
web: http://yivo.as.nyu.edu/page/admissions
  44. Paris Summer University Seminar: July 13-July 31st, 2009. The 6th Paris Summer University Seminar will take place at the Vladimir Medem Center 52, rue Rene-Boulanger. Classes on four levels, practical work, workshops. The educational team is directed by Yitskhok Niborski. Cost: €640; students €450. 
    18, passage Saint-Pierre Amelot
75011 Paris
tel: (00 33) 1 47 00 14 00
fax: (00 33) 1 47 00 14 47
e-mail: medem@club-internet.fr
web: http://www.yiddishweb.com/Zumerkurs/
  45. Annual Vilnius (Vilne) Program in Yiddish: July 26 - August 21, 2009. The 2009 Vilnius Summer Program is part of a consortium that includes the London Jewish Music Institute, the Paris Yiddish Cultural Center, and the Weimar Kuratorium Schloss Ettersburg. The program is a summer course in Vilnius (Vilne), Lithuania, featuring four levels of Yiddish (from beginners to advanced) and the most prominent scholars of Yiddish language and literature. Courses, each with two instructors, meet three hours daily, from 9:30 to 11:00 and 11:30 to 13:00, with a break for coffee and pastries in a picturesque Vilnius University courtyard. The classes are vigorously paced and progress comes quickly and steadily. Except for Yiddish I, which starts off in English, all courses are conducted throughout in Yiddish only. North American students may be able to transfer credits to their university transcripts. The cultural component includes an extensive selection of afternoon and evening activities.
    Tuition (2009): US $1110 In addition, participants are required to purchase texts and cover the costs of travel, maintenance and accommodation. Contact: 
    Indre Joffyte
Coordinator of Programs
Vilnius Yiddish Institute
Vilnius University, History Faculty
Universiteto 7
Vilnius 01513 
Lithuania
tel: +370-5-268-7187
fax: +370-5-268-7186
web: http://www.judaicvilnius.com/summer
e-mail: info@judaicvilnius.com
  46. Ot Azoy! London Crash Course in Yiddish: August 2-7, 2009. The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London presents a six-day crash course in spoken and written Yiddish, with faculty including Helen Khayele Beer (University College London), Shura Lipovsky (Amsterdam), Heather Valencia (Scotland), and Sonia Pinkusowitz (Martin Buber Institute, Brussels). Contact: 
    tel: +44 20 8909 2445
email: klezfest@jmi.org.uk
web: site
  47. Yiddish-Vokh: August 25 - 31, 2009. Yugntruf sponsors its yearly Yiddish-Vokh in Copake, New York. The Yiddish-Vokh is designed for Yiddish speakers, especially families with children. English is not used during the week. The program is relaxed, including morning workshops, nature hikes, sports, concerts, films, singing, and lots of unprogrammed time for comeraderie. There are classes for children, usually separating younger ones from older ones. The food is kosher (vegetarian is available); those who wish participate in daily and Shabes davening. There is a talent show near the end of the week.
    Registration deadline August 1. Prices (2009)
    • Single, private bath: $700-$800
    • Single, shared bath: $600
    • Double, private bath (1 bath/2 people): $400-$500/person
    • Children, ages 4 to 12 (double, shared bath only): $350
    • Additional child age 4-12 (on cot), in double with 2 relatives: $300 
    e-mail:info@yugntruf.org
web: http://yugntruf.org/programs/yidish-vokh/
tel: 212-889-0381
  48. Indiana University's Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European, and Central Asian Languages: June 18th - August 13th, 2010. The Yiddish course covers the equivalent of one academic year (8 credits, 160 contact hours) in 8 weeks. There are daily classes in grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and listening. A Yiddish language table meets at at lunch twice weekly. There are weekly Yiddish cultural activities outside of class. Students are also welcome to participate in other Slavic, EastEuropean, and Central Asian cultural events. ALL participants pay in-state tuition (lower than out-of-state!). Foreign Language Area Studies Awards funding is available. For more information contact: 
    Adam Julian
Ballantine Hall 502
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
tel: 812-855-2608
email:swseel@indiana.edu
http://www.indiana.edu/~swseel
  1. Yiddish Summer Wiemer 2011 (July 6-August 14, 2011). 2011 special topic: Ashkenaz, the matrix of Yiddish and German cultures. web
  2. Yiddish Summer Program at Arizona State University (May 31-August 22, 2011): part of the Critical Languages Institute. http://cli.asu.edu/cli_summer/yds_1
  3. University of Indiana (June 17-August 12, 2011):Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages.Bloomington Indiana. http://www.indiana.edu/~swseel/program/languages_europe.shtml
  4. YIVO/Bard College (June 20-July 29, 2011): UrielWeinreich Program. At the Jewish Theological Seminary (NYC). http://www.bard.edu/bard-yivo/ ;
  5. Vilnius Yiddish Institute (July 24-August 19, 2011) Summer Program inYiddish Language and Literature. Vilnius, Lithuania. http://www.judaicvilnius.com/en/main/summer/introduction
  6. Shalom Foundation/Center for Yiddish Culture (July 4-July 22, 2011) 9thInternational Summer Seminar in Yiddish Language and Culture. Warsaw, Poland.http://www.jidyszland.pl/index.php/en/yiddish-summer-seminar
  7. Yiddish Book Center (June 12-July 29, 2011) The Steiner SummerProgram. Amherst, Massachusetts. tp://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/steiner-summer-program
  8. Institute For Jewish Studies (July 25-August 5, 2011) Summer YiddishSeminar. Brussels, Belgium. http://www.ulb.ac.be//philo/judaism/calendrier.html
  9. Goldreich Yiddish Institute/Beth Shalom Aleichem/Tel Aviv University(June 27-July 21, 2011) International Yiddish Summer Program. Tel Aviv, rael. http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/yiddish/summer-index.eng.html
  10. Yiddish SummerWeimar (Weimar, Germany). (June 9-August22, Yiddish Classes August 9-14, 2011). http://www.yiddishsummer.eu/
  11. Tumbala, Yiddish song course (London, England). (August 14-19, 2011). http://www.jmi.org.uk/courses/
  12. Ot Azoy, Yiddish crash course (London, England). (August 14-19, 2011). http://www.jmi.org.uk/courses/

Continuing programs

  1. Yiddish pen-pal club. There is a Yiddish pen-pal club with over 400 members around the world. It is solely based on e-mail. If you are interested in becoming a pen pal or taking over the coordination of this activity, contact 
    Fishl Kutner
fishl@derbay.org
Der Bay

Degree programs

There are academic degree programs in Yiddish at Columbia, Harvard, Penn, SOAS/London University (MA), Oxford (M.St.), Hebrew University, Ohio State, Trier, Düsseldorf.

Look at the Academic Jewish Studies Internet Directory for more information.

Regularly scheduled Yiddish classes