Jan 14, 2016
Stefania Shifra Szabad with a class in a Yiddish school, Wilno, 1929. Children hold a banner that reads: “We can all read and write.” (Courtesy of YIVO)
INTRODUCTION
Summer programs in Yiddish language and literature have been popping up all over the world, from farms in upstate New York to the beaches of Tel Aviv. Are you interested in studying Yiddish this summer but don’t know where to start? We’ve created a handy guide to help you determine which program is right for you.
“Who were these writers writing for? What is the political significance of their work? Their language? How might they have been influenced by current social trends? . . . Helix not only brought many of these issues to the fore for me, it made them tangible.”
Dates: First 10- day residential session August 2016 and one month of international travel in July 2017
Application Deadline: March 15, 2016
Cost: Determined by need
Housing: Included
Levels: All levels
Cultural Component: The Helix Project is less a language program than a cultural immersion; participants learn about the history, literature, and folklore of Jews in Eastern Europe in situ
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Discover the pre- and postwar history of Yiddish culture in Poland and get to know contemporary Jewish life in Poland.
Dates: June 27-July 15
Application Deadline: TBA, last year was May 15; April 30 for scholarships
Cost: TBA, last year was 680 euro for 3-week program (reduced for students and for 2-week program, reduced if combined with Paris program)
Housing: Not included, dorm accommodations possible
Levels: Four levels, beginning-advanced (lower two levels: beginner and complete beginner)
Cultural Component: Lectures, film evenings, and some workshops
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Photo courtesy Sofia Dyak
Where researchers and practitioners from Eastern Europe engage in shaping a more participatory historical culture and heritage practices, challenging top-down modes in practicing both history and heritage.
Dates: July 11-August 5
Application Deadline: April 8
Cost: Free
Housing: Included
Levels: Introductory
Cultural Component: Tours to local sites of Jewish heritage and city walks. The program is intended for young researchers and cultural workers and incorporates history lectures and projects on the multicultural artistic and literary heritage of Lviv/Lwów/Lemberg with a focus on Jewish milieus.
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“Too often people just hear or learn about the Holocaust without realising that Jews had lived in Poland for centuries and just how strong and lively the culture really was.”
Dates: June 23-July 3
Application Deadline: February 29
Cost: 1,000 dollars, 600 dollars students
Housing: Included
Levels: Beginning
Cultural Component: Study tour, literature classes, workshops, lectures. The summer school is part of a larger program on Jewish heritage in the Lublin region
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Enjoy museums, cafes, Bauhaus architecture, the beach and the promenade, the old harbor, summer festivals, and clubs in this Mediterranean city “that never sleeps.”
Dates: June 26-July 21
Application Deadline: May 1; March 1 for scholarships
Cost: 1450 dollars (scholarship aid available)
Housing: 800 dollars for double occupancy (optional)
Levels: Five levels, beginning to advanced
Cultural Component: Lectures, workshops, and conversation classes in the afternoons
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Immerse yourself in Yiddish with some of the UK and Europe’s top educators and performers.
Dates: August 7-August 12
Application Deadline: Rolling (15 GBP discount if paid by May 1)
Cost: 250 GBP/150 students and seniors (65+)
Housing: not included
Levels: Five levels, beginning to advanced
Cultural Component: Music, theater, poetry, and lectures. A Song School runs parallel
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Inspired by its unique location in Vilna, the once fabled “Jerusalem of Lithuania,” the Institute cherishes the hope of nurturing new cultural contributions in Yiddish.
Dates: July 17-August 12
Application Deadline: rolling; May 1 for scholarships
Cost: 1310 euros (limited scholarship aid available)
Housing: Not included
Levels: Four levels, beginning to advanced
Cultural Component: film screenings, tours, and concerts
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“It was an unforgettable experience, the courses were of a very high level, very interesting and enlightening.”
Dates: July 18-29
Application Deadline: rolling
Cost: 480 euros/350 for students (possibility of grant for East European students)
Housing: Not included, dorm accommodation available
Levels: Four levels, beginning-advanced (upper two levels conducted in Yiddish)
Cultural Component: Singing/dance/music workshops, films and lectures in the evening
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“I can’t wait to keep learning Yiddish and maybe, hopefully, one day either teach or translate Yiddish and be an active member of the community. I feel as though I’ve found something that I can truly engage with for the rest of my life.”
Dates: June 5-July 22
Application Deadline: February 8
Cost: 1,400 dollars (financial aid available, and intermediate students may do an internship and have this waived, as well as receive a stipend) (includes college credit)
Housing: Included
Levels: Introductory and intermediate
Cultural Component: Daily culture course, singing, films, dance, lectures, and a field trip to New York City and Yidstock, the Yiddish Book Center’s annual Yiddish cultural festival
Other: Open to ages 18-28, college and graduate students
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“When I first came to YIVO, I could barely write a sentence in Yiddish; now I write articles in Yiddish. My time at YIVO was a huge inspiration.”
Dates: June 27-August 5
Application Deadline: April 29; February 26 for scholarships and international students
Cost: 6,000 dollars (includes college credit, scholarship aid available)
Housing: Not included
Levels: Four levels, elementary-advanced
Cultural Component: Conversation and culture classes in the afternoons, and a zingeray***
Speak Yiddish. Built Community. Live Sustainably.
Dates: June 20-August 6 (Yiddish Farm offers other courses throughout the year, and there are other, shorter programs)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: 3,999 dollars (financial aid available, includes meals)
Housing: Included
Levels: Beginning and upwards (intensive program)
Cultural Component: Students also work on the farm. All food is kosher and shabes is observed; davening is Orthodox.
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One of the world’s leading summer programs for the study, creation and presentation of traditional and contemporary Yiddish culture.
Dates: July 10-30 (three one-week courses)
Application Deadline: June 12
Cost: 75/60 euros (standard/reduced rate) per day, down to 60/45 after fourth day, scholarships available
Housing: Not included, registrants receive 10% off at a local hostel
Levels: Three levels, beginning-advanced
Cultural Component: Part of a larger cultural program including music and dance workshops, with frequent evening jam sessions
