An Intro to Yiddish
Mondays at 11 a.m., Sept. 9-Oct. 28 (No class on Oct. 7)
All classes will be recorded and sent to registrants.
Yiddish is more than a language: It's a culture, a tradition, a vital connector to past generations of Jews around the world. And that can make it feel a little intimidating.
Have no fear! My Jewish Learning's first-ever Yiddish class is here, and it's designed to help you get a taste of the language and its cultural significance. No background knowledge is necessary!
Together with experienced Tel Aviv University teacher Daniel Birnbaum, we'll first learn how to read and write Yiddish, using the Hebrew alphabet. We'll then learn some basic greetings, use of personal pronouns and the present tense of verbs, both regular and irregular. We'll also discuss the history of Yiddish, its component elements and its broader status in Diasporic Jewish culture.
In addition to 7 live class sessions with an expert instructor, your purchase gets you:
-Recordings of all classes
-An electronic copy of a beginner's textbook
-Copies of your teacher's PowerPoint presentations
-Access to a fellow community of beginner learners
Now's your chance to jump in and try learning the language of your ancestors!
Each class is approximately 1 hour long. There are no refunds for this course.
About Your Teacher
Daniel Birnbaum has been teaching Yiddish to students from Israel and around the world since 2007. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Oberlin College and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has taught classes at Tel Aviv University, Beth Sholem Aleichem and YIVO. He has developed an original Yiddish textbook for first- and second-year students, as well as an online Yiddish curriculum. Over the years, he has connected with hundreds of students who seek an access point to Yiddish language and culture, and he delights in providing an opening to the richness of that tradition for people from a variety of backgrounds.
