YIVO’s 2020 Summer Program to Take Place Online

Application Deadline Moved to May 29

(New York, NY) – Given the extraordinary circumstances of the current moment and to ensure the safety of our students and faculty YIVO will conduct the Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture online for summer 2020 (June 29-August 7). In light of this change, the deadline for submitting applications and financial aid requests has been extended to May 29, 2020.

YIVO's Summer Program is the longest running Yiddish program in the world and has taken place in New York City every summer since 1968. The 6-week Summer intensive offers Yiddish language classes from beginner to advanced levels and a wide variety of cultural enrichment activities.

Conducted via Zoom from June 29-August 7, YIVO’s 2020 Summer Program will provide the same peerless instruction in Yiddish language and culture it has provided for over 50 years. The program will run in full, with a number of innovations and additions to meet the needs of the virtual classroom. Teaching from New York, Montreal, and Israel, our world-class faculty will join students across the globe as an international community in our own digital Yiddishland. 

“The program will run in full, with a number of innovations and new additions to meet the needs of the virtual classroom,” said Ben Kaplan, YIVO’s Director of Education. “Having trained generations of scholars and students, the Summer Program is a symbol of Yiddish resilience and continuity – a fact which takes on particular meaning this summer.”

Offering the Summer Program online presents a unique opportunity for students who otherwise could not have attended in person to participate.

The Refresher Course taught by Academic Director Dovid Braun, which is scheduled for the week before the program (June 22-26), and Yiddish: The Next Level taught by Miriam Trinh and Eliezer Niborski, which is scheduled for the two weeks after the program (August 10-21), will also be taught online.

The Yiddish Civilization Lecture Seriees will be held online and will commence on Thursday, July 2nd. This series introduces audiences to the breadth and depth of Yiddish civilization in Eastern Europe, New York, and around the world. As well as being part of the Summer Program, it is also open to the general public. More details about the scholars and topics for the lecture series will be announced soon.

Learn more about the Summer Program and apply at summerprogram.yivo.org.

This year’s Summer Program joins YIVO’s growing and robust line-up of digital offerings, including our Shine Online Educational Series, which is now being offered for free. The Shine Online series includes a new course, A Seat at the Table: A Journey into Jewish Food, launching May 1, as well as courses that delve into the evolution of Yiddish theater, the rich history of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, Ashkenazi folklore and much more.

Also follow our regular digital updates via Facebook Live, and explore our free online resources, such as the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe and the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections.

For any media inquiries please contact:

Ben Kaplan
Director of Education
bkaplan@yivo.cjh.org