Yiddish course returns to University of Amsterdam

From 2023, students can take a Yiddish course at the University of Amsterdam.

The vernacular spoken by many Jews in European cities for centuries has not been taught in the Netherlands since the death of professor Shlomo Berger.

The return of the subject is proving to be a success.

“I would have been happy with ten students, but that turned out to be 53,” said lecturer Daniella Zaidman-Mauer. “We are thrilled to be able to teach it here again today because Yiddish is strongly connected to the city.”

“Amsterdam was always an open city for many religions. That is why many Jews came here and brought their Yiddish with them. If you go to the City Archives, there is an awful lot of Yiddish material there. And to study it, you first have to get to know the language,” Zidman-Mauer said.

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