Yiddish Classes
If you're looking for Yiddish language classes in Boston (and beyond!), you've come to the right place. Throughout the country, Workers Circle has been a leader in preserving and promoting Yiddish language and culture (Yiddishkayt). Yiddish was the language of 2.5 million Eastern European Jewish immigrants, of the Jewish labor movement and the struggle for rights, equality, and freedom. Today, Yiddish continues to be a vibrant language, inspiring modern literature, music, art, and activism. We invite you to explore this rich cultural inheritance!
Classes
Our instructors are passionate about Yiddish and are experienced educators. Whether you are a beginner, have been studying on your own on Duolingo, are a continuing student, 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 semester-long classes across a range of levels. Students in doubt about their course level should email info@circleboston.org.
Most Yiddish language classes will begin the week of October 12, 2026 and run for 8 sessions.
Check out information about our teachers here.
Beginner Semester I: In-Person
Wednesdays, 7:30 - 9:00 pm ET, Alef-beys class begins at 7:00pm ET | October 14 - December 16 (skipping 11/11 & 11/25)
Instructor: Jonah Sidman
Level: Students new to Yiddish, or those who know a few basics but want a structured start to learning anew. Also recommended for Duolingo learners looking for a structured introduction to grammar, conversation, and culture.
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.
Let's learn Yiddish — lomir zikh lernen yidish! This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Yiddish conversation, reading, and grammar through highly-interactive games, songs, activities, and short texts. Students who don't yet know the Hebrew/Yiddish alphabet will be asked to join the class a half hour early throughout the semester.
Beginner Semester I: Virtual
Wednesdays, 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET, Alef-beys class begins at 6:30pm ET | October 14 - December 16 (skipping 11/11 & 11/25)
Instructor: Sara Feldman
Level: Students new to Yiddish, Duolingo learners, or those who know a few basics but want a structured start to learning anew.
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Yiddish speaking, reading, and grammar through highly interactive games, songs, conversations, and short texts. Students who don't yet know the Yiddish alphabet will be asked to join the class a half hour early for several sessions.
ADVANCED BEGINNER YIDDISH: VIRTUAL
Thursdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm ET | October 15 - December 10 (skipping 11/26)
Instructor: Sasha Berenstein
Level: For students who have taken a BWC Beginner course. Also open to those who already know the Yiddish alef-beys, some basic grammar & vocabulary, and who feel the class description fits their level, including those who have worked through Duolingo and feel ready to dive into more conversation and culture
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Starting on chapter 7. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.
Do you know about der, di, dos, and dem, but shudder when you hear the words "dative" and "accusative"? Do you know how to exchange pleasantries in Yiddish but not how to talk about what happened yesterday? Do you know the alef-beys, but not have enough vocabulary to tell a story? Do you want to be able to talk about your family (biological or chosen) across the gender spectrum? Would you like to study Yiddish every week with an enthusiastic teacher who showers you with positive feedback no matter how many mistakes you make? This advanced beginner Yiddish class might just be right for you.
Intermediate Yiddish: Virtual
Tuesdays, 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET | October 13 - December 15 (skipping 11/3 & 11/24)
Instructor: Abby (Avigayl) Howell
Level: This class is appropriate for students who are familiar with the grammar taught in beginner Yiddish, or who have completed the Duolingo Yiddish course, or anyone who can read and understand Yiddish sentences with the help of a dictionary. BWC students who have completed BWC's Advanced Beginner semesters 1 & 2, those who want to continue in Intermediate, and newcomers at this level are all welcome to join.
Materials: TBD
Build confidence in your Yiddish - reading, writing, speaking, and listening, in a supportive and welcoming classroom of intermediate Yiddish students. We'll focus on building reading fluency, comprehension strategies, dictionary skills, and making meaning from texts while enjoying selections from the canon of Yiddish literature. In this class, you will find abundant opportunities to stretch and grow your Yiddish. We'll read together slowly, translate continuously, and look up every unfamiliar word as we read (in Yiddish) and discuss (in English and Yiddish) literature together.
Advanced: Dorem Afrikanish: Virtual
Wednesdays, 8:00 - 9:30 pm ET | October 14 – December 16 (skipping 11/11 & 11/26)
Instructor: Hinde Ena Burstin (Lererin Hinde Burshtin)
Level:The class is suited to advanced readers and speakers of Yiddish, including students in previous BWC advanced classes, and intermediates ready to make the leap to a new level. We will read and discuss a selection of Yiddish writing from South Africa, in a supportive environment that encourages each person to speak Yiddish freely and fearlessly to the best of their ability.
Wondering whether this class is right for you? If you’d like to be in a warm, nurturing class that’s conducted in Yiddish, and that will extend your Yiddish language proficiency and your understanding of Yiddish literature and culture, we encourage you to give it a try!
Materials: We will study a selection of short stories, poems and monologues and published in South Africa. Most of these will be drawn from Antalogye: Dorem Afrikanish, the 50th book in the Musterverk series edited by Shmuel Rozhanski and published by YIVO in Beunos Aires, 1971. The book can be downloaded, free of charge, here.
Any additional course materials from beyond this collection will be provided.
The course will open with an introduction to historical, sociological and literary contexts of Yiddish in South Africa. We will then study a selection of stories, poems and monologues from some of South Africa’s finest Yiddish writers. Course content will include courageous, critical and thought-provoking materials that will inspire meaningful discussions about race, class, language, representation, and Jewish and Yiddish community responses to oppression and discrimination. These short stories and poems will be interwoven with aesthetic poems on life, love, lust and local landscapes. Humorous monologues will round out the materials.
The course content will provide a snapshot of a significant, yet rarely-studied Yiddish community. This content is highly relevant today. As we witness the global rise in white supremacy and the far-right, grapple with issues of racism, apartheid and allyship, and experience deep rifts within Jewish communities, South African Yiddish writing presents parallels that offer illumination, insight, and perhaps inspiration, for the work before us today.
Wondering whether this class is right for you?
We encourage you to give it a try! For current BWC intermediate students, please register for intermediate, and then attend to both the intermediate and the advanced classes the first week. Once you decide which class you want to take, please let us know by emailing Sandy at info@circleboston.org.
Tuition for All Classes
| $200 | $280 |
Special Rates (Young Adult or Limited Income):
| $145 | $200 |
Taste Of Yiddish Class
| $18-$40 | $10-$20 |
Klezmer Workshops & Jams
This is a workshop and jam and is ideal for musicians who are proficient with their instruments and want to learn or develop their klezmer repertoire, technique, and style. We will be meeting once a month and all types of instrumentalists are welcome. The BWC monthly workshop and jam is designed to be an inclusive and welcoming community especially for new participants as we work to create an environment where everyone is supported and empowered to participate.
Workshop and jams will take place from 6:30-8:30pm at the BWC Building in Brookline on the second Tuesday of the month from October - January: October 13, November 10, December 8, & January 12.
The nightly schedule will be:
6:30-7:15 (45 min) Workshop
7:15-7:30 (15 min) is a break and schmooze
7:30-8:30 (1 hour) Jam
Come for all parts or join just the jam! Drop ins are welcome, but help us plan by registering ahead!
Meet the Instructor
