Beginner II Yiddish (Sunday)

Class starts Feb 25 12:00pm-1:30pm

Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)

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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: Nina Warnke

Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for those who have completed Beginner I Yiddish or equivalent coursework.

What topics will this class cover?
Students will continue to develop their listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills in Yiddish. Topics include the classroom, family, and physical appearance. Grammar focuses on diminutives, negation, separable prefix verbs, possessive, and adjectives. We will also read poems, listen to songs, and work with materials related to Purim and Passover. After a brief review of the foundational grammar, we will begin with Chapter 5 of In eynem.

Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
Yes, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is required.

Course Materials:
This course will use the textbook In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I & II by Asya Vaisman Schulman, Jordan Brown, Mikhl Yashinsky (Purchase).

Questions? Read our 2024 Spring Classes FAQ.

Nina Warnke grew up in Germany, where she started to learn Yiddish before studying in the Oxford Summer Program and receiving her Ph.D. in Yiddish Studies from Columbia University. During that time she directed the YIVO zumer program for a few years. Since then Nina has taught Yiddish language, literature and culture at Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University, as well at Gratz College, YIVO, and the Workers Circle. She has researched and written extensively about the Yiddish theater. Nina is also the lead editor of the Rebecca Gratz Digital Archive at Gratz College and is working as a translator of Yiddish and German texts.


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