Jump right into Yiddish…
with a book
Meyn Nomen is Tsila: An introductory book in Yiddish by Celia Brauer
with some videos
A series of short, humourous, Yiddish lessons, mostly in English, with subtitles. National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene with Motl Didner
A YouTube series of short comedies set in Montreal. In Yiddish (with a bit of English and French thrown in) with English subtitles. Hilarious and Canadian!
Yiddish Word of the Day from the Forwards (used to be a real Yiddish newspaper in New York for over a century. Now online in Yiddish and English.
Shane Baker performs Sholem Aleichem’s story about Yom Kippur which is coming up in a few weeks – a famous Yiddish writer who worked in the 19th and 20th century. Sholem Aleichem is a nom de plume which means “How do you do” (Peace be with you), a Hebrew/Yiddish greeting. Sholem Aleichem wrote the story “Tevye der Milchike” Tevye the Milkman which became Fiddler on the Roof. A Yom Kippur Tale, by Sholem Aleichem: Readings in Yiddish literature.
with some sites
Yiddish Pop is a fun program for anyone new to Yiddish
Kojii Languages Presents: Yiddish
with a club
An informal monthly gathering in English, with a bit of Yiddish sprinkled throughout. Shane Baker might appeal to many students – a non-Jewish actor, translator, and Yiddish activist who took up Yiddish as an adult. On Zoom. Registration is free. YIVO: Shane Baker’s Yiddish club LINK
Interested in Yiddish Literature?
The Yiddish Book Centre is hosting a month of the Global Literature in Libraries series on literature in translation. This month will feature posts on newly published and forthcoming translations from Yiddish, with the aim of getting more literary translations into libraries (and, hopefully, classrooms!) For more information: #YiddishLitMonth