Six Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET
May 1 - June 5
All classes will be recorded and sent to registrants.
Want to learn Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language with a rich, centuries-old history from Europe to the Middle East?
From el kal (the synagogue) to throughout la komunita (the community), and from la kuzina (the kitchen) to throughout la kaza (the house), Sephardi Jews from Turkey, the Balkans, and Morocco have transmitted Ladino — a Jewish language closely related to Spanish — from one generation to the next for hundreds of years.
This six-part course, taught by leading Ladino scholar Bryan Kirschen, introduces participants to the basics of Ladino and contextualizes the language through Sephardic culture and history.
By the end of the course — one of the few of its kind — participants will be able to introduce themselves in Ladino; speak about topics such as family and food; and conjugate verbs in the present tense as well as in the imperative (command) form. You will also come away with an understanding of the diverse practices, names, and other conventions used among populations of Ladino speakers and learners around the world.
Professor Kirschen will provide some passages from this textbook, but he recommends purchasing the entire book for use on your own throughout the course. It is currently $16 on Amazon and not included in the purchase price of this course.
Meet Your Teacher
Bryan Kirschen is an associate professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Binghamton University, where he is also Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. He serves as co-director of Binghamton University’s Ladino Collaboratory, co-organizer of the annual New York Ladino Day, director of the National Authority of Ladino’s international delegation of Shadarim, partnering host of the Enkontros de Alhad series, instructor of Ladino through the Ladino Linguist platform, and curator of the Documenting Judeo-Spanish online portal. In 2024, he co-launched the American Ladino League, a nonprofit organization providing resources to learners and educators of Judeo-Spanish.
Check out some of our on-demand courses:
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