About Us

The Committee for Yiddish was created in the early 1960's under the auspices of the Canadian Jewish Congress to coordinate and foster Yiddish cultural activity in Toronto. Its founders were volunteers dedicated to ensuring that Jewish life in Toronto continue to be enriched by Yiddish language and culture.

To this day, the UJA Committee for Yiddish continues to fulfill this goal through offering classes in Yiddish language and literature, theatre workshops, lectures and other programs in and about Yiddish, as well as through partnering with a variety of organizations in Toronto and around the world to support and produce excellent Yiddish programming.

Our Mission

Through educational, cultural and engagement programs, the Committee for Yiddish, UJA Federation fosters and promotes Yiddish language and culture - indeed the entire Ashkenaz tradition - as a vibrant part of contemporary Jewish life and as a vital link between the Jewish past and future.

Mandate

• Promote a vision of Yiddish as integral to the Jewish community at large
• Provide and facilitate Yiddish educational programs, research and cultural activities as a portal into the Jewish community
• Foster the love of Yiddish through language, the arts and other avenues
• Develop and foster partnerships with individuals and groups throughout the Greater Toronto area

What We Do

The following is a sampling of initiatives of the Committee for Yiddish, UJA Federation presented either on its own or in collaboration with other organizations:

• Offering Yiddish language classes for adults at a variety of levels
• Presenting lectures in and about Yiddish online and at various community events including Holocaust Education Week and Jewish Heritage Week
• Coordinating and facilitating the production of Yiddish-themed programs throughout the community, including with Miles Nadal JCC, Darchei Noam Synagogue, Ontario Yiddishkeyt, and other Toronto and International Jewish Organizations
• Co-presenting Yiddish concerts in collaboration with the Ashkenaz Festival
• Raised funds to support the Yiddish Studies Program at the University of Toronto
• Serving as a resource for community information for Yiddish-related educational, scholarly, and cultural opportunities