Sholem Aleichem and Jewish Modernity

Class starts Sep 21 6:30pm-8:00pm

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

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This class meets weekly in person at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City. Enrollment will be capped at about 15 students. All course details (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.

Instructor: Adi Mahalel

Course Description:
This course offers a dive into the great master’s classic work, Motl peyse dem khazns. We will start with the adapted version and continue with the original version. The course will include secondary source materials and engagement with literary and linguistic analysis. All of the readings, discussions, and assignments will be in Yiddish.

Students must read the first three chapters prior to the first class.

Who should take this course?
This course will be conducted exclusively in Yiddish, so enrollees must have done Advanced or higher Intermediate coursework in the language or have equivalent Yiddish background.

Course Materials:
Motl peyse dem khazns by Sholem Aleichem. Book and audio may be purchased from the League for Yiddish (Purchase).

Questions? Read our 2023 Fall Classes FAQ.

Dr. Adi Mahalel is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Yiddish Studies at the University of Maryland. He received his doctoral degree in Yiddish Studies from Columbia University. His book, The Radical Isaac: I. L. Peretz and the Rise of Jewish Socialism, was published by SUNY Press in 2023. Adi’s areas of interest include modern Hebrew and Yiddish literatures, Jewish cultures in modern times, and the crossroads between culture and politics. He has published articles and translations on these subjects in multiple languages, and has taught in various institutions.

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