Yiddish has been the language of Ashkenazi Jews for over a thousand years. It was used by writers and artists to create great works of fiction, plays, and music. Yiddish words are everywhere in popular culture and it would be meshuggenah to imagine that anyone hasn’t heard or said at least one Yiddish word.
Yiddish is a living language, full of spiel and shtick, irony and humor, expressing all of the subtle distinctions of human character. Many of Yiddish words and phrases have had the chutzpah to find their way into the English language, because there is no English word that can convey the depth and precision of meaning that many Yiddish words can. This is at the heart of one of FJMC’s most popular programs, Yiddish Alive.
Yiddish Alive is a biweekly, interactive, Zoom based discussion about Yiddish. It offers an opportunity to speak a bissel Yiddish, share stories about our Zaidye’s and Bubbie’s, learn the Yiddish word of the day and more.
It started with a small group andover the past two years we have grown to over 500. Each session of Yiddish Alive features 30-35 participants and we have a ball sharing Yiddish songs, jokes, phrases, new words, and a bit of history of where we’re living, where we hailed from in the ‘old country’ and how we learned our Yiddish. We meet every other Monday at 8PM EDT and range in age from 19 to over 100. We have varying levels of Yiddish fluency from “I don’t know nuthin’” all the way to “Ich ken redn zeyr a gita Idish.” (I can speak quite a good [proficient] Yiddish.)
Nu…Shem zich nit! Kum redn mit undzerer menschen. Frelach zol zein! (Sooooo. Don’t be ashamed! Come speak with us. You will be happy. Please join us on alternate Monday evenings’in the virtual shvitz for Yiddish Alive, you will be glad you did.
Yiddish Alive is part of a growing list of FJMC Affinity Groups and is offered at no charge to Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods across the United States and around the world. Learn more at https://www.fjmc.org/yiddish-alive-affinity-group or email Mike Mills at MillsMS1@Gmail.com. Nu? Sign up to join Yiddish Alive today and be mensch tomorrow.
This moment of Jewish Learning is brought to you by the Florida Region of the FJMC. We serve the needs of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida from the Panhandle to Miami. Our mission is to involve Jewish Men in Jewish Life.
If you are not yet affiliated with the Federation, then today is the day to join us. Get to know more about the Florida Region of FJMC and our growing statewide network of dynamic Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods on our website www.FloridaRegionFJMC.org and please visit and LIKE our Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
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