פּראָגראַמען

Programs

It is not often that the League for Yiddish promotes
an activity that is (mostly) not in Yiddish,
but the opera
The Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language
– by Alex Weiser and Ben Kaplan –
is an exception.
——> New York, September 18 and 21, 2025 <——
For more details and to order free tickets, click here.

In celebration of the publication of our newest student reader
Afn veg: Zibn dertseylungen fun Y-.L. Perets
‪(Pathways: Seven Stories by I. L. Peretz)
‪please join us for a Zoom conversation with
Moishele (Mario) Alfonso
who abridged and adapted the stories. ‪
This innovative reader offers students access to classic Yiddish stories,
complete with side-by-side glossaries, discussion questions,
and full audio recordings. ‪‪We’ll also hear about the
process of creating the book and enjoy selected readings.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish)
——> Sunday, August 31, 2025 <——
For more details and to order free tickets, click here.

From Vilna’s Ashes:
Lost Treasures Return to YIVO
A Zoom conversation with
Prof. Rabbi Allan (Arn) Nadler
Allan Nadler is a historian and scholar of rabbinic tradition and modern Jewish thought. He received Orthodox ordination and served as a rabbi in Boston and Montreal. He was the Director of Research and Dean of the Max Weinreich Center at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, where he led the struggle to recover Jewish archival materials from Vilna and strengthen YIVO’s relationship with Yiddish culture. He has published on Hasidism, Misnagdim, and the relationship between religion, politics, and modernity.
In this interview, we will revisit his years at YIVO and hear his reflections on
Yiddish cultural heritage and the role of archives in shaping Jewish memory.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, June 29, 2025 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

When Yiddish Echoed Through the Streets of Mexico
A Zoom conversation with
Jacob Finkelman
Born and raised in 1940s Mexico City, Finkelman spent his childhood in a
community where Yiddish was the language of everyday Jewish life — at home,
in school, in the streets, and deep within the soul. In this conversation,
he will share memories of his early years in a Yiddish school, family life, and
the rhythms of community — and reflect on how Yiddish continued to live and
breathe in Latin America after the war. We’ll also hear about his long career —
knowledge management in telecommunications around the world —
and about his move to Israel, where he lives today.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, May 18, 2025 <——
For more details and the link to register, click here.

Handclasp: Between Poetry and Research
A Zoom conversation with
Prof. Dov-Ber (Berl) Kotlerman
Prof. Kotlerman is marking the publication of his new Yiddish poetry collection,
Tkiyes-kaf: Diptikhlekh (Handclasp: Diptychs), recently released by
CYCO in New York. The book presents poetic pairs – diptychs – that explore
shared themes through shifting voices and reflections. In this conversation,
we’ll read selected poems and explore the creative path behind them,
alongside reflections on his wider work in Yiddish culture, literature, and
memory. Kotlerman is a leading Yiddish scholar, author, and
director of the Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies at Bar-Ilan University.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, April 6, 2025 <——
For more details and the link to register, click here.

Pages of Vienna: The Yiddish Publishing Story
A Zoom conversation with
Thomas Soxberger
We will discuss Soxberger’s new book, Grόnden wir einen jiddischen Verlag!
Jiddische Bόcher, Zeitschriften und Broschόren aus Wien. Eine kommentierte
Bibliographie (“Let’s Found a Yiddish Publishing House! Yiddish Books, Journals, and
Pamphlets from Vienna – An Annotated Bibliography”). This work explores
Yiddish publishing in Vienna, offering insight into its books, periodicals, and
pamphlets. We will explore the rich history of Yiddish publishing in
Vienna and its broader impact on Jewish life in the city.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Tuesday, February 25, 2025 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Vilna of the Second Generation — A Glimpse Through My Eyes
A Zoom conversation with
Eli Sharfstein
Eli Sharfstein, the son of active Yiddish theater artists in Vilna
who currently lives in Israel, has documented his memories and stories in
books such as Mayn vilner zavulik (My Vilna Alley), and Der zelner shloft, un
di dinst geyt vayter: Bilder fun der rusisher armey (The Soldier Sleeps, and
the Maid Continues: Images from the Russian Army), which will be published soon.
We will discuss Vilna after the Holocaust, focusing on the 1950s and 1960s.
Sharfstein is also the author of Plutsem yidish (Suddenly Yiddish),
a poetry e-book that carries a deep personal voice from a Vilna-born writer.
We will hear about his memories and read selected passages from his works.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Monday, January 13, 2025 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Yiddish in the 16th Century
A Zoom conversation with
Prof. Claudia Rosenzweig
We will discuss the fascinating history of Yiddish books and printing in the 16th century,
and especially about Yiddish in Italy. Among those publications are well-known books
such as Bovo-Bukh by Elye Bokher (Elijah Levita); Ku-Bukh and more. We will also talk
more broadly about Old and Middle Yiddish, and how they differ from
Modern Yiddish, drawing on Rosenzweig’s research on these topics.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, December 8, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Did the Rabbis Wage War Against the Enlightenment Thinkers?
A Zoom conversation with
Yohanan Lowen
We will discuss Lowen’s research which addresses this topic. In particular,
we will delve into the untold facts surrounding the issue, such as the support
given by rabbis to prominent Enlightenment figures like Moses Mendelssohn
and Naphtali Hirz Wessely (Naftali Hirtz Vizel). We will also
explore the development of the bans and conflicts against them
within religious circles, which continue to the present day.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, October 27, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

A Zoom conversation with
Riki Rose
the girl from Williamsburg who became a rock star
Riki Rose grew up in a Satmar family, got married, and later left the
Hasidic community. Today, she is known in the Yiddish world as a composer and
singer of Yiddish music, a comedian in short films, and a social media influencer.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, September 22, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

A Zoom conversation
with the writer and Yiddish literary translator
Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
About his books and translations, especially about his new book
Blessed Hands: Stories, an English translation of Frume Halpern's
Gebentshte hent: dertseylungen.
We will also read from his poetry and discuss Taub's own life story.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, June 30, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Hidden Autobiographies:
200 Stories of Jewish Immigrants in America
A Zoom conversation with
Prof. Daniel Soyer
About the history of the autobiography contest held by YIVO in 1942,
on the topic “Why I left my old home, and what I achieved in America,”
when over 200 “ordinary,” everyday people sent in their life stories.
We will read some examples and get to know some of the writers.
We will also discuss Soyer's own history, and his books and research that
deal with Jewish immigrants, Jews in America, and left-wing ideologies.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, May 19, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

The Yiddish Publishing House in Sweden
A Zoom conversation with
Nikolaj Olniansky
We will hear about the history of his Yiddish publishing house
Olniansky Tekst; the writers who publish there and their books,
including well-known translations such as The Hobbit and Harry Potter,
as well as original works such as Sonim by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
We will also discuss his personal history and his own creation of children's books.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, April 14, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

From Kiryas Tosh to the Unknown
A Zoom conversation with
Shifra Lowen
We will talk about her journey of growing up and raising a family
in a small Hasidic village in Quebec. Delve into her experiences with girls' education,
and Yiddish creation within the community, including the resonance of her Yiddish songs
across the Hasidic world. Explore her transformative decision to leave the community
together with her entire family and gain insights into her current life path.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, March 17, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Yiddish in Tel Aviv
A Zoom conversation with
Dr. Yaad Biran
We will talk about Yiddish creativity and writers in Israel,
especially in Tel Aviv, and about the status of Yiddish versus Hebrew
historically and now. We will also discuss Yiddish in Tel Aviv today,
including  Dr. Biran’s work as a Yiddish tour guide and creator of Yiddish cabarets.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, February 11, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Modern Literary Yiddish
A Zoom conversation with
Prof. Dov-Ber Kerler
We will talk about the development of the modern
Yiddish literary language and take a look at some early Yiddish books.
We will also discuss Kerler's own history, including the evolution of his own writing. 
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, January 14, 2024 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

The Klezmer Tradition in Israel
A Zoom conversation with
Avrum-Leib Burstein
We will talk about the Jerusalem and Miron klezmer tradition;
the influence of Hasidic tunes on the klezmer world;
the place of klezmer music in the Hasidic world, and in the Breslov community in particular.
Also about Burstein’s own history; how he established a new generation of klezmers;
his activities with “Yung Yidish”; his recordings;
and his work as an actor, both on Shtisel and in other films.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, December 10, 2023 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

Raising Children in Yiddish
A Zoom panel with:
Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, Yankl-Peretz Blum,
Eli Benedict, Ethel Niborski, Naftali Ejdelman
We will talk about raising children in Yiddish from several perspectives
and discuss the importance of maintaining up-to-date terminological lists,
children's books and programs to educate children in Yiddish;
and the approach of former Haredim to child-rearing in Yiddish.
We will also relate our own stories and share our practices and solutions.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, November 12, 2023 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

The Beginning of Literature in Yiddish
Join us for a Zoom conversation with the Yiddish researcher
Prof. Simon Neuberg
We will talk about the early development of Yiddish literature,
the various theories regarding the origin of our language,
and the first Yiddish texts that we have. We will also talk about
Alt (Old) Yiddish versus Mitl (Middle) Yiddish; the different types of texts,
books, writers, readers, and print shops which existed in that era.
(The conversation will be in Yiddish.)
——> Sunday, August 27, 2023 <——
For more details and to register, click this link.

COME CELEBRATE THE TRANSITION!
Sheva Zucker Retires
Miriam Trinh and Noah Barrera take over her leadership.
— Sunday, March 1st, 2020, 2pm
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 West 16th St. NYC

Film Screening
Yonia Fain: With Pen and Paintbrush
Bilingual Reading of Contemporary Poetry
with Boris Sandler and Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath
— Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 6:30PM
James Gallery, CUNY Graduate Center,
365 Fifth Avenue, First Floor, NYC

All-Day Yiddish Seminar
"'You say bulbe, I say kartofl' —
An Excursion through Yiddish Dialects"
with Dr. Paul (Hershl) Glasser
— Sunday, May 5th, 2019, 9am - 6pm
Ansche Chesed Synagogue, 251 W. 100th St., New York City

Yiddish Schmooze!
On the Landing: Stories by Yenta Mash
presented by translator Ellen Cassedy in Yiddish
— Monday, March 18, 2019 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Workmen’s Circle, 247 West 37th St. 5th Floor, Manhattan
$10│free for members of the League for Yiddish or Workmen’s Circle

A Day of Yiddish! — Third Yiddish Seminar in the New York Series
"Yung-Yisroel: The Rebirth of Yiddish Literature
in the Jewish State"
with Prof. David G. Roskies
— Sunday, December 9th, 2018, 9am - 6pm
Ansche Chesed Synagogue, 251 W. 100th St., New York City

"Being a Yiddish Writer in the Soviet Union after the Holocaust:
The Fate of Der Nister"
with Dr. Ber Boris Kotlerman
— Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7pm
Workmen’s Circle, 247 West 37th St. 5th Floor, Manhattan

New York Premiere of the Film
Yonia Fain: With Pen and Paintbrush
— Thursday, July 26, 2018, 6:30PM
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16 Street, Manhattan

A Day of Yiddish! — Second Yiddish Seminar in New York
"The City of the Book: The Jewish Cultural Treasures
of Vilna and Their Dramatic Rescue
during and after WWII"
with Dr. David E. Fishman
— Sunday, April 22nd, 2018, 9am - 6:30pm
Ansche Chesed Synagogue, 251 W. 100th St., New York City

All-day (+ evening) Yiddish seminar,
"Let's Study a Page of Mendele"
with Professor Avraham Novershtern
— Saturday night, December 2nd, at 7pm and
— Sunday, December 3rd, 2017, 9am - 5pm
115-125 West 30th St., Suite 1101, New York City

Annual Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe and Charne Schaechter z"l
Bilingual Celebration in Honor of
Uriel Weinreich's 50th Yortsayt
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Rakhmiel Peltz
"Uriel Weinreich as a Bridge in Jewish Culture between Eastern Europe and America"
Musical Program: Inna Barmash
— Sunday, July 9, 2017, 1PM

Annual Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe and Charne Schaechter z"l
Bilingual Celebration of our new
Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary
Keytnote Speaker: Dr. Solon Beinfeld
Artistic Program: Lorin Sklamberg
— Sunday, November 13, 2016, 6PM

8th Annual All-Yiddish Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe and Charne Schaechter z"l
"Nationalism, The State and the New Antisemitism
in Zionist, Diasporist, and Territorialist Thought, 1929-1939"
with Dr. Kenneth (Binyomen) Moss
— Sunday, July 12, 2015, 1PM

Film Screening
Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman: Song of Autumn
A part of Kulturfestnyc, International Festival of Jewish Performing Arts
— Friday, June 19, 2015, 2PM

7th Annual All-Yiddish Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe and Charne Schaechter z"l
"The YIVO's Newest Treasure:
The Chaim Grade and Ina Hecker-Grade Archive"
with Dr. Miriam Trinh
Sunday, July 13, 2014, 1PM

6th Annual Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter z"l
"A Historian in the Ghetto:
Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oyneg-Shabes Archive"
with Professor Sam Kassow
— Sunday, June 30, 2013, 1PM

Literary Celebration in Honor of the Publication of Afn Shvel
Issue #358-359: "New Yiddish Literature"
— Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 6:30 P.M.
at the Mendelson Auditorium, Jewish Theological Seminary
122nd St. and Broadway, Manhattan

5th Annual Program in Memory of Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter z"l
"Max Weinreich in America"
with Dr. Kalman Weiser
— Sunday, June 24, 2012

Anniversary Exhibition:
"Other Zions: From Freeland to Yiddishland —
Land and Language in Three Intertwined Yiddish Entities"
— Wednesday, June 15 - November 15, 2011

Opening Program for the Anniversary Exhibition:
"Other Zions: From Freeland to Yiddishland —
Land and Language in Three Intertwined Yiddish Entities"
— Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Bilingual Evening of Contemporary Yiddish Poetry
— Sunday, August 1, 2010
Listen to and read the poems.

"In Search of Milk and Honey:
Yiddish Theater in Birobidzhan"
with Dr. Ber Boris Kotlerman
— Monday, July 19, 2010