Summer Program 2025
The Naomi Prawer Kadar International Yiddish Summer program 2025 will take place on the Tel Aviv University campus from July 8 to July 31, 2025, 5 days a week (Sunday-Thursday, plus a Yiddish field trip on a Friday).
Course offerings:
1. Yiddish language instruction at three levels (in-person), Beginners (I), Intermediate (II) and Advanced (III). These are credit-bearing classes and the student’s level will be determined by our professional language instructors.
2. The Jona Goldrich Seminar for Advanced Research Students (not for credit) will take place the week of July 20-24. This program is ideal for students with full Yiddish reading and listening fluency (with speaking fluency preferred) who are seeking to hear leading researchers lecture in Yiddish, along with a cohort of fellow researchers. Applicants must demonstrate Yiddish proficiency to be accepted.
3. An Online Course in Reading Yiddish Texts (twice per week in the evening). An opportunity for students to gain facility in reading Yiddish. Language of instruction is Hebrew.
Located minutes away from both downtown Tel Aviv and its beaches, Tel Aviv University is the largest university in Israel, with significant resources in Jewish Studies, among them the new Museum of the Jewish People (Anu) and the Margulies Yiddish Book Collection. Students can enjoy Tel Aviv's diverse attractions: museums, cafes, Bauhaus architecture, the beach and the promenade, the old harbor, summer festivals, and clubs in this Mediterranean city "that never sleeps."
As students of TAU International, the Tel Aviv University School for Overseas Students, whose credentials are recognized by universities world-wide, participants will receive 80 hours of language and literature instruction (five credits) with highly qualified and experienced teachers in small classes.
Language Instruction
In-person Yiddish classes will be held 09.00 -10.30 and 11.00-12.30 on the Tel Aviv University campus. Daily attendance is mandatory. Students wishing to receive course credit also are required to attend a minimum of five hours of afternoon cultural programming per week (roughly 2 or 3 weekly activities).
Students registering for Yiddish I-III should register at TAU-i website
Participants interested in registering for the Jona Goldrich Advanced Research Seminar or for the Reading Yiddish Texts are requested to contact us via email- yiddish1@tauex.tau.ac.il for further information and registration details.
Detailed Course Descriptions
Yiddish I
Introduction to basic Yiddish grammar, pronunciation, conversation, reading, and writing.
Dr. Yaad Biran
Yiddish II
Students significantly expand their Yiddish vocabulary and knowledge of Yiddish grammar; emphasis on working through a variety of Yiddish texts and expanded facility in written and oral expression.
Normally, students in intermediate will have completed the equivalent of a year of college-level Yiddish or an intensive summer of college-level Yiddish.
Mr. Eliezer Niborski
Dr. Miriam Trinh
Yiddish III
Provides students with opportunities for practice in more sophisticated oral and written expression; provides exposure to more complicated literary, historical, and/or cultural texts.
Normally, students enrolling in Advanced Yiddish will have completed the equivalent of two years of college-level Yiddish and/or two intensive summer Yiddish language programs.
Dr. Miriam Trinh
Mr. Eliezer Niborski
The Jona Goldrich Advanced Research Seminar
For this special, one-week program, 11:00-12:30 and 13:30-15:00. We invite applications from:
• Graduate students and early-career scholars from all disciplines, whose research substantively engages with Yiddish primary sources and corpora: literary studies, history, religious studies, linguistics and philology, sociology and anthropology, to name an only few
• Writers, artists and creative professionals whose current projects require significant research using Yiddish literary or historical materials
• In special cases, undergraduate students whose research projects show exceptional promise will also be considered
Participation in the Seminar will be capped at 18 students. Tuition will be fully paid for by the Institute. Housing expenses will also be subsidized for qualified students from abroad.
Prof. Sam Kassow (Trinity College)
Prof. Marc Caplan (Heinrich Heine University)
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Submit a short writing sample in Yiddish (approx. 150-300 words), a brief description of current academic or artistic activities (one-page max.) and a CV (in Yiddish, English or Hebrew) by March 20, 2025 to yiddish1@tauex.tau.ac.il
Applicants will be notified of acceptance no later than April 1, 2025.
Reading Yiddish Texts
Readings entirely in Yiddish, instruction and discussion in Hebrew. This course is appropriate for heritage speakers and/or intermediate or lower advanced students who can read a Yiddish text and seek to improve literary readings skills with an expert teacher.
Mr. Daniel Birnbaum
Afternoon Academic and Cultural Program
In addition to morning language instruction, the Naomi Prawer Kadar Yiddish Program includes a robust afternoon cultural program, held on campus and in Tel Aviv. The co-curricular afternoon offerings include:
- Yiddish conversation classes
- Excursions to local sites of Yiddish culture
- Guest lectures in Yiddish and English by local faculty
- Yiddish theatre workshops with professional actor Mikhl Yashinksy
- Presentations by fellow students on their research
- Mentorship for more advanced research students
Student Housing
Qualified students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program may apply to receive a housing stipend to cover or subsidize the cost of housing. Students are expected to find housing independently. There are no university accommodations available in summer 2025. Please contact us for more details.
Tuition (for month-long program)
$ 1,450 Tuition
$ 60 Application fee
Scholarships
Full-time students are eligible for a variety of program scholarships:
$ 800 to B. A. and M.A. students
$ 950 to PhD. Candidates
Additional Information:
1. Qualified candidates for the advanced research seminar may be eligible for additional funding as Jona Goldrich Fellows. Please inquire for more details.
2. The Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe, will be funding six grants of up to £1,000 for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in Jewish Studies from Europe attending the language course, in order to enhance the language skills necessary for their research.
Post-doctoral applicants for the Rothschild Foundation scholarship must have received their doctoral degree no more than 5 years before the closing date of the current grant round.
Applicants who are interested in applying for grants should contact: Yiddish1@tauex.tau.ac.il
Program Leadership:
Prof. Hannah Pollin-Galay, Executive Director
Associate Professor, Literature Department
Head, Jona Goldrich Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture
Tel Aviv University
Dr. Rachel Wamsley, Academic Director (on leave)
Jona Goldrich Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture
Tel Aviv University
Prof. Justin Cammy, Acting Academic Director
Professor of Jewish Studies and World Literatures
Smith College
Ms. Vered Sagie, Administrative Director
Jona Goldrich Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture
Founding Directors:
Prof. Hana Wirth-Nesher, Tel Aviv University
Prof. Avraham Novershtern, Hebrew University
The Naomi Prawer Kadar International Yiddish Summer Program is grateful to the Naomi Foundation, to Beit Shalom Aleichem and to the family of Jona Goldrich (z’’l) for their generous financial support.
