YIVO-Bard Winter Program on Ashkenazi Civilization


Held annually in January since 2012, the YIVO-Bard Winter Program on Ashkenazi Civilization invites students to delve into Ashkenazi Jewish life and culture during its thousand-year history in Eastern Europe and in many Diasporas. The Winter Program courses explore connections between Jewish life and the national, political, philosophical, and artistic identities Jews have historically inhabited, illuminating the fact that Jews have always been influenced by, and influencers of, the cultures in which they’ve made temporary or permanent homes.

Courses are open to all; a credit option is available through Bard College. All classes meet on Zoom.


2025 Course List


Morning Classes:

Outside the Synagogue: Traditional Songs and Nigunim of Eastern Yiddish Speakers

Instructor: Michael Lukin
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 9:00am-10:15am ET

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In the Aftermath of the National Origins Act, 1924-1928

Instructor: Hasia Diner
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 10:45am-12:00pm ET

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Encounters with Mephistopheles

Instructor: Jonathan Brent
6 sessions, Wednesdays & Fridays
January 8-24, 2025 | 10:45am-12:00pm ET

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Afternoon Classes:

Desire in Yiddish Literature

Instructor: Anita Norich
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 12:00pm-1:15pm ET

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Entertaining America: Jews and Hollywood

Instructor: J. Hoberman
5 sessions, Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays
January 8-17, 2024 | 12:00pm-1:30pm ET

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Whitewash: Holocaust Distortion in Poland and Beyond

Instructor: Jan Grabowski
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 1:00pm-2:15pm ET

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Making and Unmaking Jews in our Post-Pandemic Age of Antisemitism

Instructor: Sander Gilman
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 2:30pm-3:45pm ET

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Jewish Languages

Instructor: Ilan Stavans
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 4:00pm-5:15pm ET

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Evening Classes:

Jewish Intellectuals and the Birth of the Nuclear Era

Instructor: Alex Wellerstein
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 7-23, 2025 | 6:30pm-7:45pm ET

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Questions? Read our 2025 Winter Program FAQ.


Related Events

YIVO-BARD WINTER PROGRAM KEYNOTE LECTURE
Autocracies in the 21st Century
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 | 1:00pm ET

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