Continuing Conversational Yiddish for Heritage Learners

Class starts Mar 6 6:00pm-7:30pm

Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)

This is a live, online course held weekly on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 15 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish and English.

Instructor: Nachum Lerner

Who should take this course?
Continuing Conversational Yiddish is for students who already have some experience speaking in Yiddish, can hold a basic conversation, and want to take their self-expression to the next level. It focuses on building up students’ vocabulary, learning new phrases, using more complex sentences, and enhancing students’ ability to describe situations of daily life with richer language.

What topics will this class cover?
The class will help students expand their vocabulary of commonly-used words, their knowledge of verb conjugation (in the present, past and future tenses), and their understanding of basic grammar. Conversation topics will include situations in everyday life, proverbs, holidays, and songs. We will also read and discuss simple stories and dialogues (in transliteration). Videos and recordings will supplement our conversations.

Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
No, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is not required. All written texts provided will be transliterated into Latin characters (and the focus of the course will be conversation as opposed to reading and writing).

Course Materials:
The instructor will provide all course materials digitally throughout the class on Canvas.

Questions? Read our 2024 Spring Classes FAQ.

Nachum Lerner was raised in a Yiddish-loving home in Miami Beach, Florida. He studied Yiddish language and literature at Bar Ilan University, the YIVO Summer Program (at Columbia University), and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he holds an MA in modern Jewish history and literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He has taught Yiddish at the Workers Circle/Arbeter-Ring, Makor, the 92nd Street Y, and Yeshiva University, and since 2010, has been instructor of Yiddish language at JTS.

**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.