YIVO-Bard Winter Program on Ashkenazi Civilization
Held annually in January since 2012, the YIVO-Bard Winter Program on Ashkenazi Civilization invites students to delve into Ashkenazi Jewish life and culture during its thousand-year history in Eastern Europe and in many Diasporas. The Winter Program courses explore connections between Jewish life and the national, political, philosophical, and artistic identities Jews have historically inhabited, illuminating the fact that Jews have always been influenced by, and influencers of, the cultures in which they’ve made temporary or permanent homes.
Courses are open to all; a credit option is available through Bard College. All classes meet on Zoom.
2027 Course List
Morning Classes: |
Ester Frumkin and Other Women of the Bund
Instructor: Elissa Bemporad
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 9:00am-10:15am ET
The Jewish Nineteenth Century
Instructor: Ofer Dynes and Alex Valdman
6 sessions, Wednesdays & Fridays
January 6-22, 2027 | 9:00am-10:15am ET
Four Strategies for Jewish Survival
Instructor: Amos Morris-Reich
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 10:45am-12:00pm ET
How Mensches Were Made: Politics and Ethics in Yiddish Children’s Literature
Instructor: Miriam Udel
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 10:45am-12:00pm ET
Afternoon Classes: |
The Rise of Jewish Warsaw: 1862-1939
Instructor: Samuel Kassow
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 12:00pm-1:15pm ET
Eugenics and the Jews: An American History and Beyond
Instructor: Hasia Diner
6 sessions, Wednesdays & Fridays
January 6-22, 2027 | 12:00pm-1:15pm ET
Ukrainian Jewish History from Khmelnytsky to Zelensky
Instructor: David Fishman
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 1:00pm-2:15pm ET
Kissing Through a Veil: A History of Jewish Translation
Instructor: Ilan Stavans
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 2:30pm-3:45pm ET
Jewels from the Earth: Jewish Agriculturalism on Four Continents
Instructor: Jonathan Dekel-Chen
3 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-12, 2027 | 2:30pm-3:45pm ET
Mordecai Kaplan and the Reinvention of Jewish Identity in America
Instructor: Jenna Weissman Joselit
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 4:00pm-5:15pm ET
Evening Classes: |
The Wonders of Creation: Science, Nature, and the Supernatural in Ashkenazi Culture
Instructor: Elly Moseson
6 sessions, Tuesdays & Thursdays
January 5-21, 2027 | 6:30pm-7:45pm ET
Questions? Read our 2027 Winter Program FAQ.
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