Interest in Yiddish for Dogs, a program of Workmen’s Circle, shows the ancient language is far from dead. In fact, it's here to "shtai."
Yiddish has been spoken for more than a thousand years, but anyone
thinking it’s a dead language in today’s world need only look to the Workmen’s Circle to see that’s not true at all.
In fact, the city-based Jewish social justice organization has been
teaching the ancient language to more than 450 New Yorkers annually, a
number that doesn't include their dogs, who can learn some vital
commands in the language thanks to its popular Yiddish for Dogs class, the third of which was to take place Sunday in Central Park, but has been postponed due to the inclement weather expected.
“We are always looking for new programs to connect people with Jewish
culture in fun and unusual ways,” Executive Director Ann Tobak said in a
statement. “We’re showing that Yiddish is accessible, vibrant, fun and
part of all our lives as New Yorkers. And what dog owner
couldn’t use a refresher class in good leadership skills? You can even
teach your dogs to fetch — and not to kvetch — in one and a half hours!”
The Yiddish for Dogs classes pair Adrian Silver, an advanced Yiddish
class student, with Miguel Rodriguez, a longtime certified master
trainer and founder of City Dog Pack, which offers dog training, sitting and walking services.
While Rodriguez knew not a word before the first Yiddish for Dogs,
“I’ve already learned a lot,” he said. “It helps develop a vocabulary
with your dog, which is extremely important and helps develop a bond so
you can understand each other a little more, and it can help save your
dog’s life. And what’s good about the Yiddish language in regards to dog
training is a lot of the words are sharp.”
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| Interest in Yiddish for Dogs, a program of Workmen’s Circle, shows the ancient language is far from dead. (Workmen's Circle) |
Thanks to his grandparents, Silver has spoken Yiddish since childhood
and sought out Workmen's Circle for a refresher about 10 years ago. And
while he shared that Jews traditionally don’t speak Yiddish to their
pets, he isn’t surprised by the interest in Yiddish for Dogs.
“There’s been a lot of interest in Yiddish that I’ve seen over the
past 10 years, but it can be intimidating, and who can you actually
speak to anyway?” he said. “People don’t know someone else who knows
Yiddish; it made sense to me that they’d want to learn and speak it with
their close companions who they don’t have to worry about speaking
back,” he added with a laugh.
As Silver had hoped, Yiddish for Dogs has been a gateway to New
Yorkers wanting to learn more about the ancient language by taking
classes via Workmen’s Circle, “but we haven’t seen any of the dogs,” he
joked.
Yiddish for Dogs costs $15. To reserve your spot, visit circle.org/event/yiddish-for-dogs.
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