Yiddish and Klezmer Classes and Courses in and around London
Updated December 2009

1. The Jewish Music Institute (JMI)runs the following evening classes, workshops and Summer Schools in klezmer music and dance, in Jewish song and in Yiddish language and culture at SOAS University of London and at other venues. 

Ot Azoy! This is the way to speak, read and write Yiddish in a week!  (Yes you can!)  An intensive and fun crash course for those who have always wanted to do some Yiddish but have never had such a great opportunity to try. Led by Dr. Helen (Khayele) Beer with a superb faculty, the course has serious grammar and vocabulary sessions as well as conversation, song, drama and film. It’s for all levels from beginners to advanced students, all ages and backgrounds.  A wonderful introduction to the language and culture for everyone – including singers, and klezmer players. On Campus at SOAS, University of London.

KlezFest – an intensive week of klezmer music, Jewish song and dance
A heart-warming, unstoppable, week with inspiring workshops on Eastern European Jewish music, song and dance repertoire, style, ornamentation, interpretation, led by New York trumpeter Frank London and expert faculty. For professional and amateur instrumentalists, klezmer virgins as well as experienced klezmer players, singers and dancers, of all ages and backgrounds.
Bands welcome with performance and masterclass opportunities. Exhausting, fantastic and fun.  On Campus at SOAS, University of London

Weekly Klezmer classes at SOAS on Tuesdays are taught by Ilana Cravitz and guest tutors.  

The SOAS klezmer Ensemble created and run by Francesca Ter-Berg meets weekly on Wednesdays leading to special gigs at SOAS and other London hot spots. To join, contact Francesca

Click here to download a flyer.

Jewish Song School  JMI also supports a weekly song school directed by Hilda Bronstein (song[at]jmi.org.uk)

2. Ilana Cravitz runs Klezmer Jams and Klezmer Dance Sessions ‘Hopkeles’. See her website www.ilanacravitz.com for these and other klezmer activity around London including William Millis’ klezmer orchestra.

3. The Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at UCL offers Yiddish language and literature classes from Elementary to Upper Intermediate for continuing education students (two terms of teaching only). You can also study Yiddish up to advanced degree and post graduate levels.  The Yiddish lecturer is Dr. Helen (Khayele) Beer. Classes are also taught by Dr. Lily Kahn.
The library at UCL includes the Margulies Yiddish Library, which holds c. 8000 books.
Contact: Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
jewish.studies[at]UCL.ac.uk  020 7679 7171.

4. The Spiro Ark holds regular weekly Yiddish classes, including a Fast-track Beginners' class and Yiddish Intermediate Classes, which are taught by Dr. Haike Beruriah Wiegand. Yiddish Advanced classes are taught by Barry Davis.
The Spiro Ark has been running Yiddish classes and cultural programmes for more than 20 years. In 2003 it opened the London Yidish-hoyz (at 164 Grays Inn Road , London WC1), which was inaugurated with a New Year’s Eve Party on 31 December 2003. Many Yiddish-related events such as literature Festivals and cabaret shows as well as klezmer parties and jams took place at this venue, many organized jointly with the Jewish Music Institute International Forum for Yiddish Culture until sadly, the building which had been ‘on loan’, was sold and many these activities came to an end. The Yidish-hoyz had sufficient space for the Spiro Ark’s Yiddish Library (c. 1000 books) to be displayed. This happy circumstance allowed Nitza Spiro to achieve a dream of unpacking the books of The Spiro Ark’s ‘Klinger-Kaizer Library’ and making them accessible to the public who were encouraged to browse, borrow and read them.  The Spiro Ark would welcome the opportunity to do this again.  
For current programmes Contact: Spiro Ark, 25/26 Enford Street, W1H 1DW www.spiroark.org  020 7723 9991   

5. The London Jewish Cultural Centre (LJCC) offers Yiddish I (Total Beginners), Yiddish II (Advanced Beginners), Intermediate Yiddish; Yiddish Conversation; plus a Yiddish Film Club: All classes are taught by Barry Davis. Classes are held at Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, London NW11 7HU (near Golders Green tube station).
Contact : LJCC, Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, London NW11 7HU www.ljcc.org.uk

6. The Friends of Yiddish meet at Toynbee Hall (28 Commercial Street, near Aldgate East tube station) every shabes afternoon 3.00–5.30pm. Members prepare readings of Yiddish short stories, poetry or songs. Spoken language: Yiddish. All welcome.
Contact Chaim Neslen: chaimneslen[at]hotmail.com  020 8554 6112   

7. The London Yidish-Svive meets at members’ homes and is organised by Dr Haike Beruriah Wiegand. The Svive meetings include Yiddish conversation, the reading of Yiddish literature (mainly poetry and plays) and Yiddish songs. All welcome. The venues will be announced by e-mail.
Contact: beruriahwiegand[at]aol.com  020 3209 0098   

8. The Jewish Museum holds important collections relating to Yiddish theatre, including posters, substantial photographic archives, oral history and video recordings. The museum produced a major exhibition on Yiddish theatre in London (curated by David Mazower) and an associated catalogue (still in print). This exhibition is available on the Jewish Museum's website. They also have a smaller travelling display, 'Wandering Stars', featuring Anna Tzelniker, Bernard Mendelovitch and Harry Ariel, and have available a 36-minute video documentary of the same title. They plan to include a substantial section on Yiddish theatre in their expanded museum. They also hold collections of Yiddish song sheets and gramophone records, as well as Majer Bogdanski’s compositions. They have held occasional events relating to Yiddish music and culture and are keen to continue to do so.
Contact: Rickie Burman, director of the Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129–131 Albert Street, London NW1 7NB, rickie.burman[a]jewishmuseum.org.uk  020 7284 1997  

9. The Borough of Waltham Forest has offered various Yiddish courses and an ‘Introduction to Yiddish Studies’, taught by Dr. Haike Beruriah Wiegand.  
For more information contact:  020 8523 9355 (Central booking line)

10. The University of the Third Age holds Yiddish conversation classes.
Contact:  020 8906 8621   

11. The Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies (OCHJS) holds Yiddish classes on three levels (Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced) for students on the M.St. programme in Hebrew and Jewish Studies. It also offers weekly Yiddish Ulpan classes on two levels (Beginners and Intermediate), which are held at the Oriental Institute on Pusey Lane. All classes are taught by Dr. Haike Beruriah Wiegand, Lector in Yiddish (OCHJS).

Contact : OCHJS, Yarnton Manor, Yarnton, Oxford OX5 1PY, registrar@ochjs.ac.uk, web : www.ochjs.ac.uk.
Regarding the Yiddish Ulpan classes, contact Dr. Haike Beruriah Wiegand : BeruriahWiegand@aol.com.
  
12. The Paris Yiddish Centre (Parizer yidish-tsenter and Medem-biblyotek) offers a wide variety of Yiddish classes (regular classes on six levels), lectures, seminars, workshops (e.g. Yiddish song workshops, theatre workshops, translation workshops, Yiddish cooking) and special events. For anyone who is fluent in Yiddish, it would be very worthwhile to travel to Paris for the monthly Yiddish Sunday seminars. The Medem-biblyotek holds c. 30,000 works, out of which c. 21,000 are in Yiddish. In October 2002 it moved to its new premises in passage Saint-Pierre Amelot and now forms part of the 'Maison de la Culture Yiddish', which also includes seminar rooms, a reference room, a booksale and a Yiddish café.
Contact: Maison de la Culture Yiddish/Bibliothèque Medem, 18, passage Saint-Pierre Amelot, 75011 Paris, métro: Oberkampf, medem[at]yiddishweb.com T  00 33 1 47 00 14 00   
www.yiddishweb.com

last modified: January 23, 2010