Why Study Yiddish -- Lilke Majzner

May 31, 2007

Question: What does Yiddish education mean today? How is it different from what once was?

Lilke Majzner answers: "I think I was born with Yiddish. I was raised with Yiddish. I was studying Yiddish. I was breathing Yiddish... I think it's a good beginning. I hope we will create an army and storm the Bastille. And we will do it now -- it's time. Now it's time."

On May 31, 2007, Yiddishkayt presented an evening of celebration, retrospection, and discussion. Two years after we embarked on a landmark project to reintroduce Yiddish language instruction in Jewish day schools. Hundreds of lessons, tests and grades later, we celebrated the achievements of our students and our Educator, Hannah Pollin. We reflected on the experience and discussed the future of Yiddish education. Our panel of meyvens examined the question: Why Study Yiddish?

Panel, from left to right: David Ackerman, Director of Educational Services at the Bureau of Jewish Education; Hannah Pollin, Director of Education for Yiddishkayt; Beba Leventhal, graduate of original Yiddish school in Vilna; and Lilke Majzner, Yiddish Educator and President of the L.A. Yiddish Culture Club.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• lilke majzner
• yiddish
• study
• education
• yiddishkayt
• yiddishkeit
• david ackerman
• hannah pollin
• beba leventhal
• lodz
• poland
• los angeles
• america
• workmens circle
• arbeter ring

[Nadav34]

BUT I SPEAK IT!!!!

אבער קען איך רעדן



[Nadav34]

Zeyer gut az kenstu yidish redn.. un ikh ze az bistu hoykh un shtoltz far di iberlebung fun yidish.. hostu mayn shtitz!

You have my support as well!

[aragorn202]

Yiddish will not die. Why? Because I will not let it die. Although, I'm just a senior in high school, I have already made significant changes. For example, I have founded my high school's first ever Jewish Student Union, in which I hold weekly Yiddish self-teaching sessions. Yiddish WILL live on!

[aragorn202]

It will survive. People are taking action in order for it to survive. Aharon Lahnsky saved over 1,000,000 Yiddish books, scanned them, and posted them on the National Yiddish Book Center's website as pdf files. The Yiddish youth organization Yugntruf runs a summer program called Yidishvokh in which people of all ages can come and speak and learn Yiddish through immersion for a week.

[dex216sims]

I think it can survive. Many Orthodox Jews speak it as a first language. If no one else speaks it, at least they will

[Nadav34]

I noticed in this youtube movie most of the people are OLD HEADS - Yes, I hate old people. Where are the young people? Learning hebrew.. how many young jews really want to learn Yiddish?

I am not convinced, and believe that Yiddish will die out in the next 40 years.

[Nadav34]

If Israel hates this language, and tries to enact every rule against it, then why bother? I mean, can Yiddish survive without Israel's support?