VIDEO: Meet some unique young people who studied Yiddish this summer

Every summer, the six-week YIVO Intensive Yiddish Program ends with a graduation ceremony, including a stage presentation featuring a number of its students. This year’s students were of all ages and came from 12 countries, so I took my camera and went to see what it was like.

Among the students I chatted with was Syed Habeeb Tehseen, a Duke University doctoral student in literature. Born and raised in India, he recently became a fan of the Yiddish classics. I also spoke with Shloyme (Seth) Vizel, whose mother, Frieda Vizel, is a well-known tour guide of Williamsburg, home of the Satmar community in which she was raised.

The video also includes words of greeting from the Yiddish writer and former Forverts editor, Boris Sandler, as well as snippets of the stage performances, where the students got to display what they’ve learned.

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