Beginner I Yiddish (Sunday Morning)

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: Tal Hever-Chybowski

Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for those who are new to Yiddish or would like a review.

What topics will this class cover?
By the end of the course, students will have acquired a basic Yiddish vocabulary, a foundational understanding of Yiddish grammar, and the ability to access simple texts and engage in basic conversations. The course materials, adapted from Uriel Weinreich’s classic textbook College Yiddish, will be provided by the instructor.

Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
No, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is not required. However, students who have no prior experience with reading and writing the Yiddish or Hebrew alphabets are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Yiddish alphabet before class, as the course will move at a fast pace. The tools and videos provided here will be helpful in getting a handle on reading and writing the alef-beys, and are designed for independent use.

Course Materials:
All course materials will be provided digitally on Canvas.

Tal Hever-Chybowski is a scholar, educator, and cultural activist specializing in Yiddish and history. Since 2014, he has led the Paris Yiddish Center - Medem Library and has taught Yiddish at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, the Free University of Berlin, the Free University of Brussels, the University of Basel, the Stockholm Yiddish Seminar, The Yiddish Summer Seminar in Warsaw, and Yiddish Australia in Melbourne. A writer and translator, Tal publishes in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, French, and German. His articles and literary works in and on Yiddish have appeared in various magazines and journals, including Forverts, Tam-tam, Afn shvel, In geveb, Mikan Ve'eylakh and Philological Encounters. In addition to his academic and literary work, Tal is also an actor. He has performed on stage in Yiddish and Hebrew, including directing and acting in the Yiddish play Jacob Jacobson at the Théâtre de l'Opprimé in Paris in 2021. He also appeared in the Netflix productions Unorthodox (2020) and Transatlantic (2023).

**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.