University of Vienna Summer School on
Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish Language and
Culture

8-14 JULY 2024
University of Vienna, YUNG YiDiSH WIEN

At this unique University of Vienna summer school, beginner and lower intermediate students will have the opportunity to learn Yiddish language and culture with a particular focus on Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish.

The school draws on our extensive previous research into Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish and on the experience of native speaker teachers who grew up immersed in a Hasidic Yiddish speaking cultural environment. Our vision is to introduce beginner and lower intermediate students to this new emergent variety of Yiddish, which is the native vernacular of up to a million people worldwide, while maintaining a continuity with Standard Yiddish language and culture. 

Student testimonials from 2023

I am enormously grateful. It has been so much more than just a language course (which is what initially I thought it might be). I am buzzing with new questions and enthusiasm (as a skeptical academic myself)! Thank you.

Mobirise Website Builder

Anon. Student of Shtayt Geshribn 2023

The perfect blend of organised learning on specific areas in language (alphabet, verbs, possessives etc) with other media (youtube, children's books) and insights from latest research..)

Mobirise Website Builder

Anon. Student of Shtayt Geshribn 2023

Wonderful experience. Continue!

Mobirise Website Builder

Anon. Student of Shtayt Geshribn 2023

Very nice atmosphere, some great people and fantastic events!

Mobirise Website Builder

Anon. Student of Shtayt Geshribn 2023

Preliminary information

  • Time: 8-14 July 2024
  • Venue: University of Vienna, Institute of Linguistics; YUNG YiDiSH WIEN Library & Cultural Centre
  • Who is this summer school for?                          Beginners and Lower Intermediate students. There will be two groups of learners: a beginner group, for people with no prior experience with Yiddish; and a lower intermediate group, for people who have taken at least one course and are able to read and write in Yiddish. Students of last year's Shtayt geshribn Autumn School qualify for the lower intermediate level. 
  • Can I take this course for credit?
    We have received certification as a University of Vienna Summer School. We will be able to offer certificates that can be recognised by the University of Vienna. The course is worth 6 ECTS points.
  • Who are the teachers of the School?
    The teachers are Yiddish language teachers, scholars and native speakers with experience with Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish variety. More information is provided below.
  • What is this summer school like? This is as intensive one-week course with Yiddish language and reading classes in the morning and classes on literature and culture with a focus on Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish in the afternoons. There will also be seminars, lectures, workshops and other cultural events and socials in the evenings. You need to be available from 10am-5pm Monday to Friday to participate. The evening programme is optional. At the end of the school there is a complex assessment including participation, a written exam and an essay to be submitted by 1 September.
  • How can I register for this course?
    Places are limited, so early registration is advised. Registration will open early April. You can signal interest in attending the course, by emailing us at CHYschoolvienna@gmail.com.
  • How much does it cost to attend the School?      Students of the University of Vienna and the Central European University should in almost all cases qualify for a reduced attendance rate of €50. We can clarify eligibility for the reduced fee during the registration process. The full attendance rate for the School, which applies to everyone else, is €250.
  • Is there more information about the content?              We will continually update this website as more information becomes available regarding the content of the school and other practical aspects.

The teachers

Mobirise Website Builder
Zoë Belk
expert on Yiddish language and linguistics

I am currently teaching Yiddish at McGill University, as well as for a number of private students. I have a PhD in Linguistics and for the last 7 years, my research has focused on Hasidic Yiddish and I am a leading expert in the structure and use of Hasidic Yiddish. I studied Yiddish with renowned teachers including Helen Beer and Lily Kahn. I have been living in a Yiddish-speaking household for the past 5 years.

Mobirise Website Builder
Eli Benedict
native speaker, expert on Hasidic culture

I am a Yiddish teacher and an expert in Hasidic culture and folklore. Teaching Yiddish, and creating a young Jewish culture in the streets of Vienna is very powerful for me personally, especially as my entire family who come from the city and the region was forcibly deported from there by the Nazis. I bring to this course my expertise as a native Yiddish speaker of Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish and my extensive experience in teaching lessons in Jewish culture and folklore, such as music and dance lessons.

Mobirise Website Builder
Mendy Cahan
native speaker, Yiddish language and culture expert

I am a native Hasidic Yiddish speaker born and raised in Antwerp. During my university studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem I studied European and Yiddish literature. In 1993 I founded the YUNG YiDiSH Library and Cultural Centre in Jerusalem and later Tel Aviv. I have been teaching Yiddish language and culture in numerous international summer schools including the Vilnius Summer School, which I co-founded, the Tel Aviv summer School and the Yiddish Summer Weimar schools. I am especially delighted that Hasidic Yiddish language is at the heart of this school's focus, which makes this school unique in the world.

Mobirise Website Builder
Eidel Malowicki
native speaker, Yiddish language teacher

I am a student at the University of Vienna and a member of the Austrian Jewish Student Union. I am an editor and author of the union's magazine, "NOODNIK". I was born into a Yiddish-speaking Hassidic family in Vienna. Throughout my academic pursuits, I delved into the realm of Hassidism, specifically Hassidism in Vienna through an ethnographic lens and I also enjoy studying sociology of religion. She has been teaching Yiddish at the Austrian Student Union for eight months.

Mobirise Website Builder
Kriszta Eszter Szendrői
Yiddish linguistics expert, Coordinator

I have been researching Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish since 2017. I led the UCL research group that argued for this variant of the language to be recognised as a variant of Yiddish on its own right. I planned the first summer school to be on Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish for May 2020, but this had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. I am very excited to finally be able to realise this idea!

Contacts

Our Locations

Institute of Linguistics, University of Vienna

YUNG YiDiSH WIEN Library, Cultural Centre

Share this Page!

‌

Offline Website Builder