Yiddish linguist Dovid Braun is appointed YIVO’s Academic Advisor in Yiddish
Braun has instituted more intensive Yiddish language courses in the fall and spring semesters
Photo by YIVO
By Rukhl Schaechter May 3, 2023
To read this article in Yiddish, go here.
Linguist and Yiddish instructor Dovid Braun has been appointed the Academic Advisor in Yiddish Language, Pedagogy, and Linguistics at the Max Weinreich Center at YIVO.
He will also continue to serve as the academic director of YIVO’s and Bard College’s summer program, a position he took in 2019.
Braun, who studied at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has taught courses at all levels of Yiddish at YIVO since 1990.
“The position is a new one and is the result of the continual expansion of our educational programs,” said YIVO director Jonathan Brent. “This will enable us to develop more advanced courses, more courses in Yiddish linguistics and of Yiddish civilization in general.”
“I’m very impressed with the breadth of Dovid’s knowledge, his skill in managing all sorts of situations, and his congenial and appealing way of working with other people,” Brent said.
The number of students in the summer program has substantially risen under Braun’s watch. Last summer brought 120 students to the program — 70% more than the previous summer.
In his new post, Braun will lead efforts to coordinate the catalog of Yiddish courses for fall, winter and spring. He will also hire teachers, develop learning materials and edit all Yiddish-language publications and other materials.
He created more intensive Yiddish courses
Even before officially getting the position, he initiated the option for students to take more intensive Yiddish courses throughout the year. Now, they can study Yiddish twice a week instead of weekly, in both the fall and spring semesters. Aside from that, there’s now more continuity between semesters. The material for beginners taught in the spring is directly connected to what was taught in the fall semester. Pedagogically, this kind of continuity is a tremendous advantage for language learning.
Braun told the Forverts that he also encourages his instructors to initiate classes on subjects that are close to their hearts. For example, he suggested that longtime Yiddish instructor and singer Paula Teitelbaum teach a course on Yiddish lullabies. Teitelbaum agreed. Not only did the class attract a lot of students, but she later told Braun that she really enjoyed teaching it.
“When our instructors teach courses on subjects that they love and are eager to research, it’s a gift to the world as well as to the teachers themselves,” Braun said.
“Dovid is one of a handful of people on the planet who have such broad mastery of the Yiddish language,” said Ben Kaplan, YIVO’s director of education. “He brings an erudition and depth of knowledge — both linguistic and institutional — that is invaluable to YIVO’s work. It’s a joy to have him stepping into this role, in which I have no doubt he will help us lay the foundation for the future of Yiddish Studies.”
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