I grew up in New York City and first learned Yiddish in order to speak to my grandparents in Israel, who spoke no English. Before specializing in Yiddish I also studied Germanic philology, including Old English, Old Norse, Latin etc. I received my doctorate in 2019 from the Jewish Theological Seminary with a dissertation about the YIVO Linguistic Circle and the development of Standard Yiddish. I really learned the language from the years I spent working at the Forverts—the last secular Yiddish newspaper. The former editor-in-chief, Boris Sandler, was an excellent teacher. I am also familiar with Hasidic Yiddish, having lived two years in the Hasidic neighborhood of Boro Park, Brooklyn.
Ich als Lehrkraft
I have taught Yiddish language at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the University of Indiana Bloomington, the Workers Circle in New York, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. I even once taught two translators who worked for the FBI. I have taught beginners, heritage speakers, and advanced students, both online and in person. In order to demonstrate my
Meine Stunden und mein Unterrichtsstil
My teaching style is flexible depending on the needs of the students. For many years I taught conversation in the YIVO Summer Program and have oodles of materials for guiding conversation on various topics. Thanks to my background in linguistics, I have a good grasp of the grammar and can explain why we say it the way we do.
I enjoyed my first lesson with Leyzer. I had very specific questions and he was patient and explained things well. His knowledge of various Yiddish dialects is impressive. It was also very helpful to understand certain cultural aspects of Yiddish. A groysem shkoyach, Leyzer!
10. Apr. 2021
eb077a
2 Jiddisch Unterrichtsstunden
איך האב געהאט א סך הנאה צו שמועסן מיט דיר!
25. März 2021
ed0d4d
3 Jiddisch Unterrichtsstunden
Leyzer is not only an awesome teacher, but also a very nice person. The lesson was super productive yet interesting. I highly and sincerely recommend him.
16. März 2021
a23ee9
5 Jiddisch Unterrichtsstunden
Leyzer is a fantastic tutor. He was punctual and very supportive. He has a thorough understanding of Yiddish, and a wonderful sense of humor. He answered all my questions with alacrity, and made sure I understood the material. I would highly recommend Leyzer to anyone looking to learn Yiddish!