Beginner I Conversational Yiddish for Heritage Learners

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: Naftali Ejdelman

Who should take this course?
Students will be beginners who have had some exposure to Yiddish in their lives, and maybe know a word or expression or two, but lack the basics of grammar and vocabulary, which will be provided in this course. No knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is required, as 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). Likewise, no proficiency in Yiddish conversation is required.

What topics will this class cover?
In this course, students will be guided to improve their Yiddish conversation skills by increasing their vocabulary, sharpening their grammar skills, imitating proper intonation and accent, and practicing speaking as much as possible. We will use videos of native Yiddish speakers both as a launching point for conversation as well as a model for improving students' Yiddish.

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.

Naftali Schaechter Ejdelman is a native Yiddish speaker and a grandson of the late Yiddish professor Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter, and has been teaching Yiddish in a variety of formal and informal contexts since he was in high school; Naftali helped found the Yiddish Farm Education Center in 2010, has taught at programs such as YIVO, Workers' Circle, and This is Not an Ulpan, and currently runs Enga Benga Land, a Yiddish-immersion nursery in NYC. Naftali received his Master's Degree in Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. He lives in Riverdale, Bronx with his wife and two young children, with whom he speaks Yiddish.

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