Yiddish: Past, Present, and Future 

Today, many American Jews believe that Yiddish, the traditional vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews, is a dead or dying language. This belief is not surprising, given that millions of Yiddish speakers died in the Holocaust and others suffered the consequences of post-war assimilation. However, thanks to the work of cultural preservationists over the past eighty years, a flourishing global community of secular Yiddish speakers exists today.

In her talk, Maya González will discuss the history of post-Holocaust Yiddish, the establishment of the Yiddish Book Center (the world’s first Yiddish museum), and her own experiences as a non-native Yiddish speaker in the twenty-first century. In celebration of the Yiddish Book Center’s new permanent exhibition, Yiddish: A Global Culture, Maya will provide an optimistic, fresh perspective on the vibrant future of Yiddish as a diasporic culture.

Presented by Temple Beth El, Aptos.

This event is free and online. Registration is required.