Intermediate Yiddish with Annie Cohen: Gina Medem, the "Yiddish pasionaria": Monday 12:30– 2:00 PM: Nov. 11, 18, 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan. 6, 13
Monday 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Nov. 11, 18, 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan. 6, 13
Course goals: Wife of the famous Bundist leader Vladimir Medem and an interwar Yiddish Communist celebrity in her own right, today the name Gina Medem has been largely forgotten. In this class we will learn about the fascinating life of this journalist and political activist who, throughout her colorful and sometimes controversial political career, remained fiercely committed to Yiddish and Yiddish culture.
Course Tools: The class will be based primarily on excerpts from Gina's two volume autobiography, which Annie is translating into English as a Translation Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center. Through Gina's memoirs we will learn about the early days of the Bund in Lodz, her time in exile in Switzerland with Vladimir, the pogroms of 1918-1919 and the efforts to document them, the rise of fascism and Stalinist Communism, and the Spanish Civil War. We will meet many interesting characters, including a Ladino-speaking Jewish officer in the Spanish Army, Ernest Hemingway, and Mussolini. As well as discussing content, we will also pay attention to new vocabulary and grammar. All materials will be provided by the instructor.
Additional Info: The class will be conducted primarily in Yiddish, but we will switch to English when needed and English translations of the main texts can be provided to those who need them.
Monday 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Nov. 11, 18, 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan. 6, 13
Course goals: Wife of the famous Bundist leader Vladimir Medem and an interwar Yiddish Communist celebrity in her own right, today the name Gina Medem has been largely forgotten. In this class we will learn about the fascinating life of this journalist and political activist who, throughout her colorful and sometimes controversial political career, remained fiercely committed to Yiddish and Yiddish culture.
Course Tools: The class will be based primarily on excerpts from Gina's two volume autobiography, which Annie is translating into English as a Translation Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center. Through Gina's memoirs we will learn about the early days of the Bund in Lodz, her time in exile in Switzerland with Vladimir, the pogroms of 1918-1919 and the efforts to document them, the rise of fascism and Stalinist Communism, and the Spanish Civil War. We will meet many interesting characters, including a Ladino-speaking Jewish officer in the Spanish Army, Ernest Hemingway, and Mussolini. As well as discussing content, we will also pay attention to new vocabulary and grammar. All materials will be provided by the instructor.
Additional Info: The class will be conducted primarily in Yiddish, but we will switch to English when needed and English translations of the main texts can be provided to those who need them.
Monday 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Nov. 11, 18, 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan. 6, 13
Course goals: Wife of the famous Bundist leader Vladimir Medem and an interwar Yiddish Communist celebrity in her own right, today the name Gina Medem has been largely forgotten. In this class we will learn about the fascinating life of this journalist and political activist who, throughout her colorful and sometimes controversial political career, remained fiercely committed to Yiddish and Yiddish culture.
Course Tools: The class will be based primarily on excerpts from Gina's two volume autobiography, which Annie is translating into English as a Translation Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center. Through Gina's memoirs we will learn about the early days of the Bund in Lodz, her time in exile in Switzerland with Vladimir, the pogroms of 1918-1919 and the efforts to document them, the rise of fascism and Stalinist Communism, and the Spanish Civil War. We will meet many interesting characters, including a Ladino-speaking Jewish officer in the Spanish Army, Ernest Hemingway, and Mussolini. As well as discussing content, we will also pay attention to new vocabulary and grammar. All materials will be provided by the instructor.
Additional Info: The class will be conducted primarily in Yiddish, but we will switch to English when needed and English translations of the main texts can be provided to those who need them.