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University of Texas to Bring Back Yiddish

The Austin university last offered Yiddish language classes 10 years ago

by
Stephanie Butnick
March 25, 2014
(University of Texas at Austin)
(University of Texas at Austin)

The University of Texas at Austin will offer Yiddish language courses for the first time in 10 years, the Daily Texan reports. Yiddish had been taught at the university since the 1970s, but courses stopped being offered when the last Yiddish professor, Itzik Gottesman, left the university 10 years ago. Now Gottesman is back with on campus, and Yiddish classes for will resume in the fall semester.

“I taught Yiddish at UT in the 1990s, and the classes had wonderful registration,” Gottesman said. “A number of students have gone on to work with Yiddish as part of their research in history, linguistics and Jewish studies, and I expect there to be a great interest in Yiddish again.”

Gottesman wil also teach Jewish Studies classes in addition to the Yiddish courses, and anticipates solid enrollment levels.

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.