Register for Bossie Dubowick YiddishSchool Online
January 14-19, 2024
Registration for Bossie Dubowick YiddishSchool Online has closed. Sign up for our emails here to stay up to date on all Yiddish class offerings.
Cost: $450 for Yiddish Book Center members; $525 for nonmembers.
Cancellation policy: Cancellations by January 2, 2024 will be refunded, minus a $30 administration fee. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide refunds for cancellations after January 2.
Visit our About page to view the schedule.
Before signing up, make sure you can:
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Commit to participating in all language class sessions
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Get a copy of In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook (available here)
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Familiarize yourself with the Yiddish alphabet before the course begins—you can sign up for our alef-beys course
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Review previous units of the textbook before the course begins, if in a continuing level
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Have a computer with a camera and microphone, headphones, and Internet access
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Have proficiency with Zoom. Proficiency with Slack, the program's communication platform, is helpful but not required. There will be a how-to session on the basics of Slack at the start of the program
See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Courses fill quickly, so early registration is encouraged. Not sure which unit is right for you? Our registration form asks about your language background, and we review your answers to ensure you are placed in the right level. You can also email [email protected] with questions before registering.
Yiddish Alphabet Course
Dates and times: January 3, 4, 10, and 11 from 6:00-7:30pm ET
Instructor: Moishele Alfonso
Practice your alef-beys before YiddishSchool begins, in an intensive four-day online course taught by Moishele Alfonso. This course will focus on reading and pronunciation of the printed Yiddish alphabet, with an introduction to handwriting. Optional homework exercises will be provided
Cost: $100 for Yiddish Book Center members; $175 for nonmembers
Unit 1: Sholem-aleykhem!
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Yiddish. Students should study the Yiddish alphabet prior to the course start date.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
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Greet people and introduce yourself
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Describe activities during a typical day and a typical week
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Talk about geography
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Have polite conversation
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Count objects and buy certain items at a store
Grammar: Present tense verb conjugations, pronouns, word order
Culture: Folksongs, brief history of Yiddish
Instructor:
This course is taught by Sonia Bloom, education specialist at the Center and teaching assistant for the Steiner Summer Yiddish Program. Sonia has worked as a museum educator, language tutor, and translator, and has studied Yiddish language and culture through summer intensives and weekly classes at YIVO, Buenos Aires’s IWO, YAAANA, and the Yiddish Book Center. Learn more about Sonia here.
Unit 2: In klas
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for students who have studied Unit 1 of In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, or the equivalent material. Students should review or familiarize themselves with Unit 1 before class begins.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Describe your classrooms and workspaces
- Exchange simple information about everyday objects
- Compare and contrast
- Give commands
Grammar: Imperative, negation, there is/there are
Culture: Folksongs, poems, archival images
Instructor:
This course is taught by Asya Vaisman Schulman, Director of the Yiddish Book Center's Yiddish Language Institute and lead author of In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook. Learn more about Asya here.
Sample schedule of YiddishSchool Online:
- 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EST—Yiddish class (with a 10-minute break)
- 12:30–1:30 p.m. EST—Break
- 1:30–3:00 p.m. EST—Yiddish class (with a 10-minute break)
- 3:00–4:00 p.m. EST—Break
- 4:00–5:00 p.m. EST—Study hall/homework help
- 5:30–6:30 p.m. EST—Song workshop
Learn more about a typical day of YiddishSchool online here.