Uriel Weinreich Summer Program Testimonial: Liliana Farber, ‘24

Reintroducing Myself to Yiddish from a Place of Joy

by Liliana Farber, Summer Program ‘24

Participating in the Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture was an intensive and transformative experience for me. My initial motivation to learn Yiddish was a professional one. As a visual artist, I have spent the past two years reimagining current technologies through the lens of Yiddish culture rather than the prevailing Western culture. To continue my research and artworks in Yiddish, I needed to gain proficiency in the language.

Over the course of these intensive six weeks, I achieved that goal. Yet, what I did not anticipate was the profound personal transformation that would accompany my studies. The program’s emphasis on literature and culture helped piece together fragmented parts of my identity that I hadn’t fully realized were broken. Growing up in a family of Holocaust survivors, Yiddish was always present in the background of my home, shrouded in code, secrets, and trauma. It was a language that wasn’t passed down to me and my siblings, existing instead as a distant echo of a painful past.

Reintroducing myself to Yiddish from a place of joy and appreciation was incredibly healing. I began to reconstruct and understand memories, uncovering a buried heritage that reshaped my sense of belonging. The program helped me fall in love with the language and, more importantly, made me realize that my journey into Yiddish language and culture is just beginning.

Learn more about the Uriel Weinreich Summer Program in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture.