May 03, 2020
INTRODUCTION
Every year, we at In geveb offer a roundup of summer programs to help students learn about the various options available to them around the Yiddish world. You can see the 2020 edition of this roundup here. This year, however, due to the global pandemic, many summer Yiddish programs have announced that they will be moving online or canceling. While this is deeply disappointing to the many students who were hoping to learn in an immersive, social, face-to-face environment, some students may now be able to attend programs that otherwise would have been impossible for them because of the difficulties of travel. Whether you are a disappointed student looking for some consolation in an online course or a satisfied Zoomer excited to find the online instruction that’s right for you, we hope this list will prove useful.
We anticipate that this list will change significantly as programs make decisions and announcements. Check back here for changes — we will be updating as new information becomes available — and if you know of information that is missing from this list, please let us know!
International Summer Seminar in Yiddish Language and Culture (Warsaw, Poland)
http://jidyszland.pl/en/yiddish-seminar/
Dates: June 29-July 17
Application Deadline: June 22, scholarship application due May 15
Cost: There are several different learning modules with prices ranging from a single lecture ($6) to a full three week program ($450). Consult the program’s website for the range of options.
Levels: Four levels, beginning to advanced
Cultural Component: Lectures and workshops, weekend classes, online film screenings
Y.O.: Yiddish Ort (Tel Aviv, Israel)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/YOYiddishOrt/
Dates: July 5-17; July 19-30; August 2-13 (two-week intensive mini-summer courses)
Cost: 1500 shekels, or 800 shekels for students under the age of 30.
Levels: beginners-advanced
Cultural component: The classes involve language instruction, conversation classes, and literary lectures
YIVO-Bard Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture (New York, New York, USA)
https://summerprogram.yivo.org/
Dates: June 29-August 7, with an optional refresher course June 22-26. New this year: a continuing education course for those already teaching, carrying out research, or performing in Yiddish. August 10–21.
Application Deadline: May 29
Cost: 2400 USD (3180 CAD, 2215 EUR) for the regular session, 800 USD for the continuing education course 325 (non-members) /250 (members) USD for the refresher course; financial aid available. Students are eligible to obtain college credit through Bard College. (Canadian and European costs are based on current exchange rates and are subject to change.) Financial aid is available.
Levels: Five levels, beginning-advanced.
Cultural Component: Conversation, literature, and culture classes in the afternoons, lectures on Yiddish civilization (in both English and Yiddish) by leading scholars, translation, theater, and singing workshops.
Worker’s Circle
https://circle.org/what-we-do/yiddish-language/yiddish-registration/
Dates: June 30 - August 6
Cost: Worker’s circle members: $130 for classes that meet once a week; $260 for classes that meet twice a week; nonmembers: $160 for classes that meet once a week, and $320 for classes that meet twice a week. 50% lower rates for full time university students.
Levels: Beginning, intermediate, and advanced; various topics and focuses (literary, grammatical, Old Yiddish, conversational Yiddish, etc.)
KlezKanada Laurentian Retreat (Camp B’nai Brith, Lantier, Quebec (outside Montreal)
Dates: August 24-30
Cost: TBD
Levels: The full program has not yet been announced.
Cultural Component: classes, workshops, and performances, coaching, and mentorship, opportunities to explore and expand repertoire, to compose, arrange, and choreograph new materials, and to expand our models of pedagogy and performance, as well as KlezKids programming.
Yiddish Vokh (Copake, NY)
https://yugntruf.org/yiddish-vokh/?lang=en
Dates: Formerly August 12-18, now online all summer, dates TBD
Cost: “A small fee for each session you take (with an option to subscribe to the entire Yidish-vokh and attend as many sessions as you like), along with our annual Yugntruf membership dues.” Exact cost TBD.
Description: Yiddish Vokh is a language immersion retreat. Volunteers lead art activities, lectures, discussions, workshops, and sports. Information TBA about this year’s virtual format; you can propose ideas for sessions here.
Steiner Summer Yiddish Program, Yiddish Book Center (Amherst, Massachusetts, USA)
http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/steiner-summer-yiddish-program
Dates: May 31-July 17
Applications for this program have already passed, and students have been accepted. Instruction for the program will proceed online.
Naomi Prawer Kadar International Yiddish Summer Program at Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel)
While the language program is canceled for summer 2020, the Naomi Prawar Kadar International Yiddish Summer Program is holding several online workshops:
Undzer morgn: Yiddish Studies Today and Tomorrow
June 18th at 12:00 EST/ 19:00 Israel time via Facebook live
A discussion between Justin Cammy and emerging leaders in the field of Yiddish Studies, all alumni of the Naomi Prawer Kadar International Yiddish Summer Program at Tel Aviv University: Debra Caplan, Eitan Kensky, Yaakov Herskovitz, and Zohar Weiman-Kelman.
Writing Yiddish While Female: An Investigation of Chava Rosenfarb’s Legacy
July 14th at 12:00 EST/ 19:00 Israel time via Facebook live
A conversation between Goldie Morgentaler and Hannah Pollin-Galay about Morgentaler’s recent volume of translations of her mother, Chava Rosenfarb’s work, Confessions of a Yiddish Writer. (You can read another conversation with Morgentaler about the work here)
Join via https://www.facebook.com/TheNaomiPrawer