NOTE: All information from the folkhögskola will be sent in Swedish.
YIDDISH FOR BEGINNERS (TERM 1)
In this course the participants will take their first steps in a millennium old language, part and parcel of Ashkenazi Jewish civilization and a pathway to a rich cultural treasure. Whether you have heard the language at home but can’t yet speak it, or you come with no background at all – we will begin from the basics: Reading and writing the Yiddish alphabet, conjugation of verbs, construction of sentences, and building an initial vocabulary.
To the extent possible in a beginners’ course, we will enrich the experience of learning with stories and songs, and place the language also in its wider cultural and historical contexts. Participants are encouraged to form their own personal bond with the language, as this, more than anything, is the best motivation to commit to the hard work required for learning a new language.
The course is given in English, in collaboration with International Yiddish Center Vilnius, Jiddischsällskapet i Stockholm and Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.
Prior knowledge
To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.
Course material
All course literature is not included in the course cost. The book “College Yiddish” (Uriel Weinreich, YIVO) is recommended as a textbook for basic Yiddish grammar, but is not required to attend the course. You will receive information about the course book that you need to purchase yourself, if you get accepted to the course.
The course is accompanied by a notebook put together by the teacher from different sources. Reading material in the notebook includes original texts for beginners written by the teacher, learning booklets for Yiddish speaking kids from the twentieth century, Yiddish popular songs and texts from Uriel Weinreich’s book “College Yiddish”. Grammar summary of the main subjects is also included in the notebook. The course will also make use of available online resources: music, clips and interactive language tools.
About the teacher
Dr. Yaad Biran got his Ph.D. in Yiddish literature in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He teaches Yiddish language and culture in Beth Shalom Aleichem in Tel Aviv, in Haifa University and in the Tel Aviv summer course. He is also a writer and a translator, the author of a short stories book “Laughing with Lizards” (Hebrew) and the writer of “Esther’s Cabaret”, a contemporary Yiddish Cabaret in Tel Aviv. He is also guiding Yiddish tours in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
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