Yiddish Community & Informal Learning
Join us for these informal, drop-in Yiddish community and learning opportunities. See the bottom of the page for calendar listings of upcoming gatherings. Questions? Contact yiddish@circleboston.org.
Monthly Yiddish Sing
Drop in for this informal monthly gathering to learn and sing Yiddish folk songs. Songbooks provided. All are welcome, regardless of singing ability or knowledge of Yiddish.
Yiddish Sing is the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00pm on Zoom (until we can meet together again). (Except November & December, when we'll meet on the 3rd Thursday because of holidays).
Interested in more of a musical challenge? Learn about our A Besere Velt Yiddish Community Chorus.
Yiddish Vinkl
Boston Workers Circle Yiddish vinkls, or conversation groups, meet several times a month in different member homes. Whatever your level of Yiddish, this is an opportunity to sharpen your Yiddish skills in a comfortable and informal setting. Drop in anytime! All generations welcome.
Every second Thursday in Somerville (currently virtual) 7:30pm
Every third Monday in Brookline (currently on hold during the pandemic) 7:00-9:00pm
Yiddish Reading Group
Join our Yiddish Reading Group! We meet weekly (mostly) to read fiction in Yiddish. Group members select the readings which are usually short stories or novellas. Discussion is in English. Anyone who has taken an intermediate or advanced Yiddish class at the Boston Workers Circle or has similar proficiency should be able to manage well in the group. We meet Fridays from 10:30 am-12 pm on Zoom.
Di Nest: Yiddish Creative Projects Incubator
Di Nest is an incubator for Yiddish-language creative projects! Join us on the first Thursday of the month to share and workshop community members’ artistic works in progress. All forms of creativity in Yiddish (or prominently featuring Yiddish) are welcome: poetry, prose, music, visual arts, performing arts, translations into Yiddish, and more.
Di Nest is open to Yiddish speakers and students of all levels. Whether you’re just starting to create in Yiddish or have been doing so for years, you’re welcome to attend! Sessions will be in a mix of Yiddish and English.
Each session will include time to workshop material of several participants and a chance for everyone to spend time creating. Whether or not you’re bringing material to workshop, you are welcome to attend and offer feedback to fellow participants.
Svive
Meet up with fellow Yiddish speakers for a game night, picnic, or potluck - af yidish. Svive gatherings are open to Yiddish speakers and students of all levels. Anyone who wants to spend some time in a Yiddish-speaking environment is welcome!
Yiddish Special Events
For those who are ready for a challenge, we offer a series of lectures -- in Yiddish -- on a wide variety of historical, academic, and cultural topics. The lecture series draws on local experts as well as guest speakers from around the country.
Past lectures & special events have included:
Poetry Reading with Sholem Berger
Zackary Sholem Berger read from his book of poetry in English and Yiddish, One Nation Taken Out of Another (Apprentice House, 2014) - a joyride on a bassackward hybrid with an American brain, Yiddish heart, and all sorts of wandering limbs grafted onto the whole. It's midrash, whimsy, and polyglot extravagance. The evening was in Yiddish and a smattering of English. Books will be for sale.
Yiddish in the Digital Age
The discussion will look at the intersection of Yiddish and today's technologies that make the language and culture accessible to students and enthusiasts alike. The 2 speakers are pioneers in the field of Yiddishist Digital Humanism and will show examples of their work on the web to illustrate their points. The talk will primarily be in English. This lecture was presented by Eitan Kensky and Saul Noam Zaritt. Eitan Kensky is chairman of the board of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies web magazine in Yiddish and English and one of the site's founders. He works at the Yiddish Book Center as Director of Collections Initiatives, received his PhD from Harvard University, and considers himself an accidental digital humanist. Saul Noam Zaritt is an assistant professor of Yiddish Literature in the departments of Comparative Literature and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is also the founding editor of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies. He received his PhD from the Jewish Theological Seminary in Jewish Literature.