Jewish Studies
- Sheridan Libraries
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- Yiddish Language and Literature
Explore research options for Jewish history, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, Jewish philosophy and religion
Librarian for the Program in Jewish Studies
Language resources
- The Yiddish LanguageLocations in the JHU Libraries for language resources.
- Der Oytser fun der yidisher shprakhfree download of this indispensable thesaurus of 150,000 Yiddish words, idioms, phrases, similes and proverbs.
- Comprehensive English-Yiddish DictionaryContaining nearly 50,000 entries and 33,000 sub-entries, the Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary emphasizes Yiddish as a living language that is spoken in many places around the world.
- VerterbukhComprehensive Yiddish-English Dictionary. The most extensive Yiddish-English dictionary to date. Broad coverage of Yiddish words of all origins: Hebrew-Aramaic, Slavic, and Romance as well as Germanic. Many regional and dialectal variants are included alongside standard literary Yiddish forms.
- YiddishPOPYiddishPOP is an interactive program that teaches Yiddish to speakers of other languages.
- YIVO page: What is Yiddish?plus links to many Yiddish web sites
Rare Books
Schaechter Collection
- In 2006, the Sheridan Libraries acquired the library of Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter and his wife, Charne Schechter.
- The collection includes over 9,000 Yiddish books and periodical volumes.
- The Sheridan Libraries is now one of the leading research collections for the study of Yiddish language and culture in North America.
- Although the strength of the library is in linguistics and literature, every aspect of Yiddish publishing, from music to botany, is represented.
- Most of the books were published in Eastern Europe before the Second World War.
- The collection also includes a notable selection of Holocaust memorial books.
Here is a link to a list of books in the Schaechter Collection.
Literature and Drama Resources
- Primary Literature in Yiddisha guide to finding, identifying, accessing books in Johns Hopkins libraries
- Finding Secondary Literature in Yiddisha guide to critical studies on Yiddish literature in Johns Hopkins libraries
- Digital Yiddish Theatre ProjectThe Digital Yiddish Theatre Project [DYTP] uses digital technology to study and preserve the rich legacy of the Yiddish stage.
- Union List of YiddishUnion List of Yiddish is a joint effort of four institutions with substantial Yiddish collection, YIVO (Institute for Jewish Research), YBC (Yiddish Book Center), NYPL (New York Public Library) and the National Library of Israel. The goal in this project is to create a full catalog of Yiddish publications, allow one search and link back to the different institutions and add a link to a digital copy where possible (description from link above).
- National Yiddish Book CenterFull text of out-of-print Yiddish books
Spoken Yiddish
- Evidence of Yiddish Documented in European Societies: The Language and Culture Atlas of Ashkenazic JewryOne of the biggest collection of spoken language in the world – about 6000 hours
- Yiddish alphabet and pronunciationwith links to other Yiddish sites
- Dartmouth Jewish Sound ArchiveMusical and spoken recordings, including in Yiddish
Periodicals for Yiddish Studies
- MLA International Bibliographybest database for language and litertaure
- Di Tsukunftwe recently purchased a complete run of this important journal of Yiddish literary and cultural life, beginning in 1892.
- Tam Tama quarterly journal of Yiddish literature, from the Maison de la Culture Yiddish
- RAMBIbest all-round database for Jewish Studies
- Index to Jewish Periodicalsthe definitive index on Jewish history, activity and thought. This database provides a comprehensive guide to English-language articles, book reviews, and feature stories in more than 160 journals.
- In gevebSubscription-free digital journal for Yiddish Studies.
- ForvertsNow available for free through the online edition of The Forward.
- Historical Jewish Pressfrom the National Library in Israel, including Yiddish titles
Web Sites for Yiddish Studies
- Yiddish Sourcesa site with links to information on reference, research and events
- Yiddish Web Sitesa list put together by Dr. Beatrice Caplan
Encyclopedias for Yiddish Studies
- Encyclopedia JudaicaSearch on "yiddish" and bring up lots of good articles on language, literature, culture, individuals, periodicals, etc.
- Algemeyne entsiḳlopedye5 original volumes covered the the first 2 letters of the alphabet. 7 volumes followed on strictly Jewish topics.
Yidishe folḳs-entsiḳlopedye: far yidishe religye, geshikhṭe, filozofye, liṭeraṭur, biografye, lender-ḳibutsim un andere inyonimthe only complete encyclopedia in Yiddish; invaluable for its treatment of Jewish religious topics.
