Yiddish Literature and Culture class members Howard Bergman and Ilia Dolgansky
| intergenerational programs |
| Yiddish Literature and Culture: Generations Communicate January, February, March 2007 |
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What do six Jewish Americans fluent in Yiddish have in common with ten Drexel University undergraduates from varied backgrounds? More than you'd think, especially after sharing a Judaic Studies classroom in Winter Quarter 2007. Dr. Rakhmiel Peltz's course, Yiddish Literature and Culture, brought together these two groups to study the major culture of European Jews and their descendants during the past thousand years. | |
| In the course, the older students brought their knowledge and experiences, while the younger students brought their questions and curiousity. Dr. Peltz, Director of the Judaic Studies Program at Drexel, introduced the students to the multi-faceted Yiddish language and culture through song, film, and literature, including fiction, poetry, and proverbs. A high point of the joint learning experience was the two-way interviews conducted -- older student to younger and vice versa. Each got a personal view into the other's world, culture and language experiences. After the reciprocal interviews, each Drexel student submitted a write-up on the results. Read a report by Stefan Ryan on his interview of Manny Pak, one by Marissa Taffer on Fran Miller, and one by Ilia Dolgansky on Howard Bergman. Community members in the course - Yael Bloom, Howard Bergman, Fran Miller, Leon Milzstein, and Manny Pak - shared their stories, relating to the importance of Yiddish in their lives, in their own words, too. |
Yiddish Literature and Culture class members Howard Bergman and Ilia Dolgansky |
 Art Bailey and Janet Leuchter performing in "Yiddish Song: Between Two Worlds" |
After the ten-week quarter, students and community members had a chance to meet again. The intergenerational course was culminated with a concert of Yiddish music, "Yiddish Song: Between Two Worlds" on Sunday March 11, 2007. Janet Leuchter, renowned interpreter of the Yiddish repertoire from New York City, accompanied by Art Bailey on keyboard and accordion, sang eight songs and three medleys to an enthusiastic audience of over two hundred people. Part I of the concert, entitled "From a Lost World of Religious Song" brought back traditional songs including a medley of those sung at the table. Part II, "The Modern Soul" highlighted modern songwriting including a set of songs by Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman. | |