ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT: SALLY KAYE

A photo from Yiddishland, Sally is on the far left

My name is Sally Kaye and I’m a student at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. I study urban history and Jewish studies, and I fell in love with learning Yiddish when I enrolled in a beginner class during my freshman year.

I first became involved with the Workers Circle through the Trip to Yiddishland this past summer, where I joined a group of College Network students from across the country who quickly became close friends. This was a truly incredible experience — I spent a week totally immersed in Yiddish culture for the first time, singing Yiddish songs, dancing to Klezmer music, cooking traditional Jewish recipes, watching Yiddish movies, and, of course, learning Yiddish. I’m so grateful for the Workers Circle for bringing together generations of Yiddishists in this space. I had the opportunity to sit, shmues, and share meals with people of all ages I would never have met otherwise, an inspiring experience that left me empowered to embrace and sustain Yiddish culture for the future.

As the world around me has changed, I’ve been guided by justice as a Jewish value in formulating and expressing my political stances. I grew up in the DC area and was constantly surrounded by activists and social justice leaders within my Jewish community; I marched with my synagogue in the 2018 March for Our Lives, calling on our government to introduce stricter gun control regulations. In exploring both Yiddish and NYC history, I’ve studied the thriving Jewish labor movement from which the Workers Circle arose, and feel proud to stand on the words of Yiddish culture as I speak out for economic justice. Although my journey is just beginning, the Workers Circle has been an incredible resource, and I look forward to staying involved for years to come.