Yiddishkayt

In Every Grace of Yiddish See a New Dawn
Yiddishkayt strives to ensure the survival of the endangered thousand-year legacy of Yiddish language, culture and history.


Dear Friend of Yiddishkayt,

This month, many of you received our 2009 membership appeal letters in the mail.  If you've already responded, thank you.  If you haven't responded yet, think of this as a friendly reminder.  And if we only know you through email, we invite you to become a member and join the Yiddishkayt mishpokhe (family).

In every grace of Yiddish see a new dawn.  This excerpt is from a poem (included below) by Menke Katz, one of the major lyric poets of the 20th Century to write in English and Yiddish.  We share Menke's poem in order to re-inspire and re-discover our shared commitment to the celebration of Yiddishkayt for 2009.  We don't see Yiddish as dusty or old or in need of revitalization.  We see a thousand years of language, culture, and history -- marked by a cultural dynamism and Jewish identity that remain relevant today.  Our work seeks to keep alive not only the traditions but the creativity of Yiddish culture, providing opportunities for Yiddish to continue evolving and adapting as it always has.

We know these are difficult economic times for everyone.  As a nonprofit, we especially feel the change as organizations like ours are often first on the cutting block.  That's why we need your help more than ever, no matter how little or how much.  The spirit of Yiddish has survived through much more trying times than these.  Let's keep the flame of Yiddish burning!

Become a member for 2009 and help young and old alike celebrate their Jewish identity and their heritage.  Do it for your ancestors, for your family, and for those to come...

mit frayndshaft un groysn dank, with friendship and great thanks,


Aaron Paley, Founder & Chair
Aaron Paley
Founder & Chair

P.S.  Save the morning of Sunday, January 18, 2009 for The Musical History of the Yiddish TheaterJoin Zalmen Mlotek, the artistic director of the National Yiddish-Theater Folksbiene, in a multi-media historical edu-tainment about the Yiddish Theater with interactive audience participation.  Presentation follows full bagel brunch.  More details to come in the new year!

Yiddishkayt "is a beautiful and novel approach
to Jewish identity-building."
--Slingshot 08/09

Celebrating Yiddish Culture & Identity

2008 Kugl Kukh-Off
From week-long, city-wide festivals of Yiddish culture, the largest in the country, to one-day celebrations of kugl... from The �Viva Yiddish! Project, a 22-person band fusing Jewish and Latino music, to a lecture on the history of Yiddish Comic Strips...

Our events allow everybody to enjoy Yiddish.  By sharing the riches of the culture, we invite people into the world of Yiddish and inspire them to learn more.


Yiddish for Future Generations

New Textbook
Our education projects -- including our initiative to bring Yiddish language study back to day schools (now in its fourth successful year) -- conclusively demonstrate the value of Yiddish in Jewish education.  These programs innovate new curricular techniques and nurture a core of young leaders who will advocate for Yiddish in the future.

Our efforts inspire and provide materials for Yiddish language programs throughout di gantse velt (the entire world).


New Initiatives to Serve New Audiences
Der Yidisher Karavan comprises one-hour to full-day introductions to Yiddish language, culture and history that will travel to synagogues, day schools, community centers and summer camps.

Folks-Grupe: the Yiddishkayt Fellowship is dedicated to Yiddish cultural literacy for young adults, exploring the Ashkenaz experience as reflected in Yiddish literature, theater, music, film, food, politics, linguistics and humor in an intergenerational environment.

A new Boyle Heights Tour, in partnership with the Jewish Historical Society, will lead to a larger collaboration with the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies on the Yiddish history of Los Angeles.


All of this is made possible by your support.
Sources of FundingThis knish-chart shows the sources of our funding.

A significant portion comes from individual members.  Your donation goes directly to supporting our mission: whether that's continuing to develop our education program, planning a city-wide festival or intimate cultural event, or crafting new initiatives to reach those who have yet to connect with their heritage.
Yes, I want to support Yiddishkayt in 2009!

Your contribution is tax-deductible. Click on the following membership levels to make a secure credit card payment through Paypal:


*Naming and sponsorship opportunities are available for larger gifts.  Information on planned giving is also available. For more information, please call us at (213) 389-8880.

Be sure to note if your payment is a gift in honor of or in memory of someone special. Also note the address you would like a gift acknowledgment sent to.

A Sheynem Dank
- Thank You!

Menke Katz's Poem
Menke Katz' Poem in Yiddish
For more information, visit our website or call us at (213) 389-8880.