Sign up to receive one poem and its translation each week. Dr. Moskovitz has passed, and the website is being maintained by her son, who has committed to continue publishing the remaining translations that his mother completed. New poems will be posted through 2027. Signing up for the weekly poems is my top recommendation for getting just a bit of Yiddish in your life on a regular basis.
If you want to explore the richness of Yiddish, on demand, this is one of the best laid-out, easy to navigate, and interactive websites. I browse this collection from time to time and marvel at how little I know about the vast constellation of Yiddish writing and culture. There is so much to explore! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with the pages for Celia Dropkin, Zalman Shneour or Leon Kobrin.
Dr. Henry says it better than I ever could. Not only is it a beautiful literature but studying Yiddish literature is a declaration of active hope.
A frequent stumbling block for beginning students is that as soon as one thinks they can consistently tell ג from נ (or ד / ר, ס / ם, ך / ף) they encounter a new font and it can feel like they're back at step one. Looking at different renderings of a letter and beginning to see which ones cluster together so that all of these are part of the same symbolic representation of a sound is key to developing reading fluency and reducing frustration. I also think it is important to engage with the cursive (handwritten script) from an early stage. You want to be able to write out texts for your own study. If you are learning Yiddish as part of the IUP club, send me an email and I can mail you some physical materials to help with this practice.
Multi-font letter practice sheet
Simple alphabet chart (IUP Yiddish Club 2025)
This is one of the most straightforward videos for how to form the handwritten (cursive) script. I make some of the final form letters slightly differently, but there are various styles and traditions. This will get you close enough to start developing your own handwriting and being able to copy texts onto paper for studying / translating.
Work your way through the resources on the page. There's a lot here, so it'll take you a couple of weeks, but learning the alphabet is the difference between success and frustration when you're working with Yiddish. I recommend learning the handwriting at the same time that you learn the block script.
I have seen a lot of introductory language learning materials in my life. This is one of the good ones. The only downside is that the vocabulary is not the most transferable to literature and poetry, but the sequencing and explanations are really good. Don't take yourself too seriously. Make an animated robot friend. You'll learn a lot of Yiddish if you can spend the time to work your way through these lessons.
As a way to build initial sight-reading fluency and vocabulary, I can't think of any faster way to get started than Duolingo. I like Duo; it is an easy way to keep a language alive and active with very minimal set up or daily investment. Opinions vary, but that's mine. If you know me, we should be friends on the app.
But what is Yiddish? After everything else on this page, you might still be wondering where it came from, what other languages it is related to, and how many people have spoken it. This document will answer these questions and more.
Listening practice! Get to it!