Beginner & Intermediate Yiddish Classes

If you're looking for Yiddish language classes in Boston, you've come to the right place. Our instructors are passionate about Yiddish and are experienced educators. Whether you are a complete beginner or grew up speaking the language, we have a class that will accommodate you. Students cover a wide age range, from young adults to seniors. We offer classes in the fall and spring at up to four levels -- Beginners, Advanced Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced. Students in doubt about their course level may contact an instructor to discuss.

SUMMER 2020 YIDDISH LANGUAGE COURSES

On-Line Classes for Beginner; Advanced Beginner/Intermediate; 

and Conversation for Intermediate & Advanced Students

Level 1:  Beginner Yiddish class, 10 weeks starting June 23 & June 24 

Chose Evening class: Tuesdays, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm 

OR  Daytime class: Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Learn conversation skills, how to read Yiddish, and elementary grammar. Students who don't yet know the Hebrew alphabet will be asked to join the class a half hour early for the first few sessions. The class will be interactive and lively, using a textbook, songs, games, films and other multi-media materials. 

Target Level: This course will suit you whether you’re totally new to Yiddish or already know a few basics.

Class size: 5 – 8 students

Instructor: Jonah Sidman

Tuition for Member: $165 / Non-member: $225

Young adult/Low Income rates: Member $120 / Non-member $165

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Level 2:  Advanced Beginner/Intermediate,  8 weeks, starting June 23

Tuesday evenings, 7:30 pm -9:00 pm

In this class, we'll be practicing and reviewing the vocabulary and grammar content from the first year of Yiddish instruction, and increasing our confidence in speaking and listening and reading and writing in mame loshn. Look forward to weekly show-and-tell, spelling quizzes, grammar lessons, and assignments designed to get you speaking and shmoozing about things you care about, in Yiddish. We'll be reading excerpts from short stories, plays, songs, and poetry from the canon of Yiddish literature.

Target level: Students coming into this class should be familiar with the content of a first-year Yiddish textbook, and already be able to read and write complete sentences in Yiddish, with the help of a dictionary. 

Class Size:  5 – 12 students

Instructor:  Abby Howell

Tuition for Member: $130 / Non-member: $180

Young adult/Low Income rates: Member $99 / Non-member $130

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Level 3:  Once-a-month Conversation Class for Intermediate & Advanced Students

June 18, July 16, August 20 from 7:30 pm-9:00 pm.  

Register for 1, 2 or all 3!

Do you already know some Yiddish but want practice speaking, as well as getting pointers on grammar and idioms? Join us for this class, where students will have a chance to converse and the instructor will provide feedback as well as exercises practicing common grammatical difficulties.  

Class Size: maximum 12, to give all students time to speak.

Instructor:  Lillian Leavitt 

Tuition: Free, but pre-registration is required.

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Abby Howell learned to speak Yiddish while she was a student at the University of Texas at Austin, and continued her study at the National Yiddish Book Center's summer internship program, at YIVO's intensive Weinreich Summer Program in New York, and at the Boston Workers Circle. Abby has a M.Ed. in Education of the Deaf from Boston University, and is currently a software engineer at Wistia. This is her fifth year teaching Yiddish at the Boston Workers Circle.

Lillian Shporer Leavitt, a daughter of Shoah survivors, grew up speaking Yiddish and graduated from the Boston Workmen's Circle Yiddish shule. A former computer business analyst and software trainer, she is an experienced Yiddish teacher and translator, having taught at the Workmen's Circle, Gann Academy of Greater Boston, Boston University Hillel, and Brandeis University; subtitled Yiddish films for the National Center for Jewish Film; and translated Yiskor books for Jewish Genealogy.

Jonah Sidman is native of Brooklyn and a graduate of Oberlin College. He is an educator at the Museum of Science and at Boston Workmen's Circle's children's shule.  He can often be found fiddling for American or Irish folk dances all over the East Coast, and speaking/singing in Yiddish locally. Having studied Yiddish at Boston Workers Circle, he's pleased to now share his knowledge with new students.