The state of Yiddish in the 21st Century

Izzy Posen • London

Following the extermination of Europe’s Yiddish speaking Jewry in the holocaust and the assimilation of the remaining Yiddish speaking American Jews, many have considered Yiddish a dying language. But in fact, an estimated half a million native speakers of Yiddish currently live in Israel, North America, Europe and Australia and this is a young demographic with a high birth-rate and high language-retention rates. These are the Chassidic Jews, both romanticised and othered in equal measure by the wider Jewish community due to their highly insular lifestyle. Yiddish is not dead. Far from it. A highly productive and prodigious cultural Yiddish scene is flourishing in these communities, with all genres of literature, lyrical music and theatrical production. Yiddish is also the language of daily business, community affairs and home-running. In this talk we will sample some of this rich yet little-known culture, to experience a taste of Yiddish in the 21^st century.

Izzy Posen grew up in the Chassidic community of Stamford Hill, London, where he received a classical Jewish education in the esteemed yeshivas of Europe. He then went on to study physics and philosophy at the University of Bristol and graduated with a master’s degree in 2021. Izzy has been researching and lecturing about the Chassidic community and the Yiddish language for many years, as well as talking and writing about his experiences within the community and beyond. Izzy is also a professional English-Yiddish translator.