Uriel Weinreich Summer Program Testimonial: Ola Szarapanowska, ‘26

The Culmination of Years of Work and the Beginning of My Yiddish Journey

by Ola Szarapanowska, Summer Program ‘26

The six weeks I spent at YIVO were, on one hand, the culmination of several years of work, and on the other, the beginning of my Yiddish journey.

Already during my MA Studies (Jewish History and Culture, University of Warsaw), I heard great stories about the Summer Program since several members of our faculty are alumni. I knew, though, that without a scholarship, I would not be able to attend.

During the last couple of years, I was lucky enough to gain experience working at the Jewish Historical Institute and embark on my PhD journey at the University of Warsaw. I want to study—and write and publish—about all facets of Jewish life in Poland, and I knew that YIVO would be the best place to start.

Over the course of six weeks, I’ve read hundreds of pages of Yiddish literature, attended classes that ranged from the Yiddish press to Ashkenazi cuisine, discussed modern Jewish Orthodox culture, visited the grave of Sholem Aleichem, and attempted to determine the exact origin of converbs in Yiddish. I got up every morning excited for what the day would bring. Even the mounds of homework we were assigned every day did not deter my excitement. On the contrary, after a couple of weeks, when I first noticed the improvement in my reading ability, I knew that it was all working.

I leave New York feeling more confident than ever in my ability to pursue Yiddish further, and I plan on applying my knowledge to both research and archival work in Poland. Unexpectedly, I’ve also developed an interest in post-war Yiddish literature. I know that, thanks to YIVO’s Summer Program, Yiddish will be central to my research, and I am deeply grateful for this opportunity.