Beginner I Yiddish (In-person)
Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)
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This class meets weekly in person at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City. Enrollment will be capped at about 15 students. All course details (syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish and English.
Instructor: Moishele Alfonso
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for those who are new to Yiddish or would like a review.
What topics will this class cover?
This fun and interactive class will focus on the communicative approach to language learning. Students will learn the alef-beys, how to introduce themselves, talk about where they come from, where they live, countries, languages, and their daily routines. We will also cover verbs in the present tense, the days of the week, and an introduction to the past tense. Throughout the course students will be introduced to Yiddish culture and song.
Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
No, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is not required. However, students who have no prior experience with reading and writing the Yiddish or Hebrew alphabets are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Yiddish alphabet before class, as the course will move at a fast pace. The tools and videos provided here will be helpful in getting a handle on reading and writing the alef-beys, and are designed for independent use.
Course Materials:
This course will use the textbook In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I & II by Asya Vaisman Schulman, Jordan Brown, and Mikhl Yashinsky (Purchase).
Moishele Alfonso received his B.A. in German, French and Italian from the University of Memphis. He attended the YIVO-Bard Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in 2018 and participated in the Yiddish Book Center’s Yiddish Pedagogy Fellowship (2018-19) and the Yiddish Pedagogy Practicum (2021-22). He has taught Yiddish at the Workers Circle, at the Kadimah in Melbourne, Australia, and at the YBC's Bossie Dubowick YiddishSchool and Steiner Summer Yiddish Program.
In 2021-2022, Moishele transcribed Isaac Bashevis Singer’s book, Sonim: di geshikhte fun a libe (Enemies: a Love Story) into standardized Yiddish from the orthography used in its original serialized publication in the Forverts (1966). Moishele’s version was published in 2022 by Olniansky Farlag in Sweden and is the first time Sonim has ever appeared in book form in Yiddish.
When Moishele is not teaching Yiddish, he works in a Yiddish-language daycare in the Bronx.
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