Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the Yiddish language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews in Europe and still spoken by many Hasidic Jews today.
For more stories on Yiddishkeit, see Forverts in English, and for stories written in…
Yiddish
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Fast Forward Kibitz is the Oxford English Dictionary’s ‘Word of the Day’ — but their definition will surprise you
The Oxford English Dictionary’s online word of the day is kibitz. However, the dictionary’s first definition is a bit jarring for Americans who are accustomed to the using the word as a colloquialism for warm, friendly chatter. Instead, the OED defines it as “To watch (a card game or card player) as a spectator, typically…
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Fast Forward Etsy vendor’s misspelled Yiddish ‘NYC crotch’ mask is selling out, so she’s making one for L.A.
The Etsy vendor who accidentally created a face mask reading “NYC Crotch” in Yiddish is now doing so on purpose, and ramping up production to meet rising demand on both coasts. “We are all laughing again!! I love that!! The sales have gone through the roof!!! I quit counting!! LOL! (Hurray!! I’m able to pay…
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Yiddish World Amidst coronavirus pandemic, YIVO looks to the digital future
Read this article in Yiddish. Like stores, museums and theaters, archives and specialized libraries have struggled to adapt in the face of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With staff and scholars unable to access their holdings and the public unable to attend in-person programming, many institutions have found themselves in a state of…
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Yiddish World Learn Yiddish with the Forverts’ Word of the Day videos
Read this article in Yiddish. The Forverts has launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day. The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations….
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Fast Forward Board member resigns from YIVO amid fallout over library layoffs
A member of the board of directors of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research has resigned, and another has been removed from the organization’s website, amid controversy over the organization’s decision to lay off its library staff. YIVO, the world’s preeminent center for the study of Yiddish and its history and culture, laid off all…
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Yiddish World Watch Kirk Douglas sing in Yiddish
Read in Yiddish When news spread that legendary American actor Kirk Douglas, né Issur Danielovitch, had passed away at the age of 103, the Folksbiene dug into its archives and posted this touching moment from their 2002 gala, when the star was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Douglas was raised in poverty alongside his…
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Culture The monumental effort of translating ‘Harry Potter’ into Yiddish
Read in Yiddish. When Arun Viswanath, the Yiddish translator of J. K. Rowling’s worldwide bestseller “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was 12 years old, he suddenly had a revelation that made him feel dejected. Although he’s a grandson of the venerable Yiddish linguist Mordkhe Schaechter, the son of the Yiddish poet Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, and…
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News Of Herzl, Einstein, Chagall and George Kennan: Memories of working with YIVO’s librarians
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the world’s preeminent center for the study of Yiddish language and culture. Founded in Vilna in 1925, YIVO is now based in New York and includes an academic center, an archive with 23 million item, and a library with 400,000 books. On Monday, that YIVO’s board, facing a…
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