Hebrew Union College Jewish Language Project 250th Efforts

Our partners at the Hebrew Union College (HUC) Jewish Language Project have created this short asset list of products they have produced that concern Jewish languages, traditions, and identities from across the globe. The activities below seek to connect the Jewish people together and provide space for people to reflect on the place of their heritage within the greater story of Am Israel.

Special thanks go to Prof. Sarah Bunin-Benor and Janine Okmin.

Exhibit: Jewish Languages: A Cultural Dialogue

What: A downloadable, printable exhibit on the history and use of Jewish languages, past and present
Audience: Jews and Non-Jews of any age
Needs a physical venue (room for 31 printable panels, but possibility of mixing/matching)
Free of charge; venue pays to print and install

Curriculum Resource: Beyond the Family Tree: Jewish History and Diversity Through Family Languages and Names

What: A nine-lesson curriculum unit, exploring Jewish diversity and languages. Lessons can be mixed matched
Audience: Jewish children 4th grade and up, teens. Could be adapted for college students or adults Designed to be used in school settings but can be adapted to informal educational settings

Heritage Words Podcast

What: Podcast interviewing Jews about their engagement with the languages that have been passed down to them
Audience: Jews and Non-Jews; Adults and Teens

Jewish English Lexicon plus Jewish Word of the Week

What: Online dictionaries and social media posts highlighting words from worldwide Jewish languages
Audience: Jews and Non-Jews - Adults and Teens
Audiences may add their own words to the online lexicon.

What: Engaging social media posts designed to share more about unique aspects of Jewish words and language.
Audience: Jews and Non-Jews;Adults and Teens
Downloadable or shareable on social media

Multilingual, Multicultural Shabbat video

What: Video featuring eight American Jews of different ancestral backgrounds talking about their Shabbat traditions. Many languages are represented in this primarily English conversation, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, Bukharian, Persian, and Yiddish.
Audience: Jews and Non-Jews; Adults, Teens, and Older Children

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