Aramaic as a Living Language
From ancient times to the Renaissance period, Jews everywhere from Berlin to Baghdad used Aramaic to record texts and translate Hebrew into a language their congregants could understand. A relative of Hebrew and Arabic, Aramaic was the common language of the Middle East until the 600s. It fell out of use, except in select Jewish and Christian communities that still use it today. But Aramaic, which was used to transcribe the Kaddish prayer, the Talmud, and Passover songs like "Had Gadya," continues to have an important place in all Jewish communities.
How did a language spoken by an ancient people from today's Syria become a crucial throughline connecting Jewish communities and histories? Join us in this fascinating, immersive 4-part class to find out.
Filmmaker, Jewish Language Project contributor and My Jewish Learning teacher Alan Niku returns with a new series that will explore the ancient origins and modern life of Aramaic. In each class, we will investigate the development, use and survival of Aramaic throughout millennia in a region surrounded by Persian, Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish influence. In addition to the rich history, you'll learn some Aramaic phrases along the way.
Class will meet Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT on the following days:
February 29th
March 7th
March 14th
March 21st
About the instructor:
Alan Niku is a filmmaker, writer and scholar of Mizrahi culture from San Luis Obispo, California, based in Los Angeles. A native speaker of Persian, he spends his time learning related Jewish languages, deciphering Judeo-Persian manuscripts and interviewing community members about their stories. He is also a musician and an amateur chef, teaches history and Jewish heritage at various levels, and seeks to educate the world about the underrepresented cultures of the Middle East through his writing and films.
Check out some of our on-demand courses:
About My Jewish Learning
My Jewish Learning is the internet's leading pluralistic Jewish education resource. We offer thousands of articles, videos, live classes and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from Jewish ritual and practice to texts to history and culture.
My Jewish Learning is geared toward all backgrounds and levels of knowledge and is a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest Jewish digital media organization in North America.