Other Features

Conversation Classes
Students participate twice weekly in required conversation classes, where they have an opportunity to experience the living culture and polish their verbal skills through exercises and discussions. Attendance is taken in these sessions and participation will count towards a student's final grade.

Advanced Reading
Students will have the option of a twice-weekly advanced reading class.

Lecture Series
A lecture series, conducted in both English and Yiddish, opens new windows on the history of Yiddish language, literature and East European/American Jewish culture. Our speakers include prominent scholars as well as distinguished proponents of Yiddish culture in the United States and abroad, such as poets, artists and journalists.

Workshops
Students choose from several workshops, including translation, drama, folksong and traditional dance, which offer direct contact with these vibrant facets of the Yiddish cultural legacy. Emerging specialists in Yiddish and East European Jewish studies can select from such advanced workshops as Research Methods and Deciphering Yiddish Handwriting.

Research at YIVO
Students will have the opportunity to pursue research in the YIVO archives, the YIVO library, or the archives of a partner organization. Space is limited.

Additional Activities
Additional activities include field trips to Yiddish-related sites in the New York area and beyond; film screenings; shabes get-togethers.