Jodenbreestraat in Amsterdam, around 1912
Jodenbreestraat in Amsterdam, around 1912 - From February 2023, Yiddish will be taught at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) again. As a result, the UvA will be the only university in the Netherlands where this language, which is an important key to understanding Jewish history, is taught. For a long time, Yiddish was the everyday language of Jews in many European cities. That makes knowledge of the language indispensable when studying the Jewish history of Amsterdam, argues professor of Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac language and cultures Irene Zwiep. 'While Hebrew was traditionally the language of the synagogue, scholarly traditions and high literature, Yiddish was actually the language of everyday life and books for the less learned. The history of daily Jewish life in Amsterdam cannot be written without knowledge of Yiddish. The libraries and archives are still filled with undiscovered treasures in this language.' - Language acquisition and in-depth course.
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