Learning Yiddish isn’t just about vocab and grammar — it’s about courage, connection, and bringing the language you love into your everyday life.
Hi, I'm Shuli!
I'm a Yiddish Empowerment Coach.I help Yiddish learners overcome self-doubt, find their voice, and weave the language into the fabric of their lives.
I want you to learn more Yiddish — but I also want you to feel empowered to use the Yiddish you already have.To speak before you feel perfectly ready.To write even when you need a dictionary.To experiment, make mistakes, and discover that Yiddish belongs to you, too
DEVELOP MORE CONFIDENCE USING WHAT YOU KNOW
You don't have to be fluent to use Yiddish in meaningful ways.If you've learned the basics, you can already cook, jest, reflect, pray, create, read, and celebrate — even if imperfectly – while continuing to learn more Yiddish along the way.Maybe you can already read some Yiddish, understand some conversation, and express basic thoughts of your own — but you hesitate, make mistakes, ask questions, or inexplicably forget everything right when you need it.And so, all too often, Yiddish remains something you’re learning – rather than something you're using.In this course, we'll change that by bringing Yiddish directly into your experience of the Jewish holiday season.You don’t have to wait until you’re fluent to live your Yiddish.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
Di Yidishe Yom-Tovim is centered at the intermediate level.You do not need to be fluent or understand every word.You should already be able to:• read Yiddish
• follow the general idea of a simple text or conversation
• express basic thoughts of your own
• use a dictionary to fill occasional gapsStrong advanced beginners and more advanced speakers are welcome, too.Complete beginners should wait for a future beginner offering.Still unsure? Shik mir a blitsbriv! Send me an email and ask: [email protected].
SIX WEEKS OF USING YIDDISH
Each Tuesday, we’ll gather around a different theme, sharing memories, exploring Yiddish texts and culture, working together, and creating something of our own.Scroll through the slideshow below to see what we'll do each week!
LEARN YIDDISH BY USING YIDDISH
This is very much a Yiddish course.We’ll encounter new vocabulary, expressions, grammar, dialect differences, and cultural knowledge throughout the six weeks.But instead of learning them first and hoping to use them someday, we’ll discover them because we’re already cooking, reading, writing, creating, and exploring in Yiddish.Need a new verb for your recipe? We’ll find it.Notice something surprising in a song or Torah translation? We’ll investigate it.Know what you want to say but not how to say it? That becomes our language lesson.
DISCUSSIONS IN ENGLISH • ACTIVITIES IN YIDDISH
Most instruction and reflection will take place in English.That’s intentional.English gives us breathing space to have rich conversations, ask complicated questions, and explore meaningful ideas without being limited by what we can already articulate in Yiddish.Yiddish feeds our souls as we read, hear, write, create, investigate, and play with the language.The goal isn’t simply to maximize minutes spoken in Yiddish.It’s to expand what Yiddish can do in our lives.
A WORD FROM ONE OF MY STUDENTS
"Joining Shuli's Yiddish Khevre was absolutely transformative for me, in terms of my Yiddish abilities and also in terms of my relationship with Yiddish. The core of the philosophy is straightforward (make Yiddish a part of your daily life, and use it every day) but Shuli is extraordinarily skilled in supporting students to actually DO IT.
My only word of warning is that she might empower you too much, and before you know it you may find yourself staying up far too late at night to have lengthy online discussions in Yiddish about climate change, dialect quirks and favourite Yiddish poets."
~ Levone M.
In other words...
Tuition Options
I use a sliding scale to make this course accessible while sustaining my work.Choose the amount that best fits your circumstances and values – no questions asked.
| Tier | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $225 | $25/hour - in line with (or below) rates at major Yiddish institutions, with the intention of balancing accessibility and sustainability |
| Chai | $180 | 18 (“chai”) means “life” in Hebrew; a lower rate for those who need it |
| Twice Chai | $360 | 36 is twice chai; a higher rate to help sustain the program and support others |
Ready to join us?
Di Yiddishe Yom-TovimSeptember 1 – October 6
Tuesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM Eastern
Live on ZoomEnrollment limited to 12 participants.
Step 1 of 2: Fill out this form and click "Enroll"
Step 2 of 2: Select how much you would like to pay from this menu and click "pay now."
Questions or concerns? Shik mir a blitsbriv! (Send me an email!)[email protected]