Yiddish was long thought to be a moribund language, expect among very old Jews and in ultra-Orthodox and Hassidic communities. Happily, the lingua franca spoken by 11 million Jews before World War II has been making a comeback — including in some unexpected quarters (see the links below).
Quote: “When I teach Yiddish, the circumstances are vastly different. The fact that I am from Fresno and have stories about when I learned Yiddish does not signal to my students that I am not Jewish — how would it? They are also from some dusty suburb (or from Los Angeles), and are also learning Yiddish, but they are by and large Jewish. And I am not. Teaching Yiddish as a non-Jewish instructor comes with many surprises and unexpected challenges.” — Jenna Ingalls in “Reflections from a Non-Jewish Instructor of Yiddish”
Sources: Wikipedia, ingeveb.org
Learn more about Yiddish on Wikipedia. >>
Read “Reflections from a Non-Jewish Instructor of Yiddish” >>
Watch “Non-Jews Studying Yiddish Compilation” [8:11]. >>
Read “Arab students in Israel are turning to Yiddish” (2013) >>
Image: American Jewish University
Amazing Jews
In Celebration of the Jewish People
