Fall course to delve into Yiddish folklore, culture

BY LARRY KATZ

Yiddish Folklore & Culture is the topic for the fall semester of Delve Deeper, which will take place on Thursday evenings beginning Sept. 7. Prof. Natan M. Meir, who taught a well-received class two years ago on Jewish life in Eastern Europe, will be the instructor.

FOR MANY CENTURIES, Eastern Europe was one of the great centers of Jewish civilization, and its culture has impacted that of the United States in many ways. The course will examine the linguistic and cultural origins of Yiddish; explore Yiddish folklore, including stories, songs, curses, magic, and religious rituals and objects; and delve into great literary works that draw on the rich folkloric traditions of Yiddish, including short stories by I.L. Peretz and Isaac Bashevis Singer. No prior acquaintance with Yiddish is required.

Professor Meir is the Lorry I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies and the academic director of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University, in Portland, Oregon. He is a scholar of Jewish social, cultural and religious history who speaks eight languages and is the author of two books: “Kiev, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859-1914” and “Stepchildren of the Shtetl: The Destitute, Disabled, and Mad of Jewish Eastern Europe, 1800-1939.”

Delve Deeper brings dynamic teachers to lead in-depth, university-level courses for a diverse group of adult learners in greater Rhode Island. Courses cover a period of Jewish history or a specific Jewish theme, text or personality. Classes are held via Zoom on a weekday evening for two hours and run for 10 weeks.

Delve Deeper classes are presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and area synagogues, including Congregation Beth Shalom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai and Temple Torat Yisrael. Financial support is provided by the Joseph and Jacqueline Teverow Memorial Fund at the Jewish Federation Foundation.

The course will take place on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9, beginning Sept. 7 and ending before Thanksgiving. For a detailed description of the course, and to enroll, go to tinyurl.com/asmrm6sk or www.delvedeeper.org. The cost is $250 for the semester, but partial and full scholarships are available. Please do not let the cost be a barrier! For more information on scholarships, email Morty Miller at mortymiller1945@ gmail.com.

LARRY KATZ , of Providence, retired June 30 as director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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