Beginner I Yiddish (Sunday Morning)
Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)
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: Alona Bach
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for those who are new to Yiddish or would like a review.
What topics will this class cover?
Let's speak Yiddish — lomir redn yidish! This beginning course introduces students to the fundamentals of Yiddish conversation and grammar through songs, games, and activities, using an immersive and communicative yidish-af-yidish ("Yiddish in Yiddish") approach.
By the end of this course, students will be able to ask and answer basic questions, greet others (formally and informally), and conjugate simple verbs in the present tense. Students will also learn numbers, colors, days of the week and times of day, pronouns (including neopronouns), and commands.
Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
No, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is not required. However, students who have no prior experience with reading and writing the Yiddish or Hebrew alphabets are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Yiddish alphabet before class, as the course will move at a fast pace. The tools and videos provided here will be helpful in getting a handle on reading and writing the alefbeys, and are designed for independent use.
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 2025 Fall Classes FAQ.
Alona Bach is a PhD candidate at MIT, where her research focuses on interwar Yiddish writing about electric light. She has taught Yiddish at Brandeis University, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and the Boston Workers Circle.
**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.