The Art of the Yiddish Feuilleton
Tuition: $480 | YIVO members: $375**
Students: $240 (Must register with valid university email address)
This is a live, online course held weekly on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 15 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish.
Instructor: Sharon Bar-Kochva
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for Yiddish students at the high intermediate level and above.
Course Description:
Since the emergence of Yiddish journalism in 1862, marked by the publication of the weekly Kol Mevasser, the felyeton (feuilleton) has held a central place in the Yiddish press. Some of the most celebrated Yiddish writers and journalists—across generations and continents—contributed to this genre, whose lively and engaging style attracted a wide readership.
The felyeton provided a flexible framework for commenting on current events, combining literary techniques, humor, and the distinctly individual voice of each author. It came to occupy a unique position in Yiddish culture, situated at the intersection of journalism, literature, and intellectual reflection.
This course offers an in-depth exploration of this distinctive genre, which developed in especially vibrant ways in Yiddish. We will read feuilletons by I.L. Peretz, Avrom Reyzen, and other authors, alongside works by both prominent and lesser-known journalists. Our corpus will span multiple countries—the United States, France, Australia, Poland, Russia, and beyond—and will encompass a wide range of historical periods, political perspectives, and thematic concerns.
Is knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet required?
Yes, knowledge of the Yiddish alphabet is required.
Course Materials:
The instructor will provide course materials digitally throughout the class on Canvas.
Students should have access to the Comprehensive Yiddish–English Dictionary by Bochner and Beinfeld, either in its digital form (verterbukh.org) or as a printed edition.
Questions? Read our 2026 Spring Classes FAQ.
Sharon Bar-Kochva works as a Yiddish teacher and a librarian in the Paris Yiddish Center, where she is also head of the pedagogical team. She has been teaching Yiddish at various levels worldwide since 2004, both in academic and non-academic frameworks. She received her PhD from Inalco University in Paris in 2015, centering her dissertation on the pseudonyms of Yiddish and Hebrew writers.
**Become a member today, starting at $54 for one year, and pay the member price for classes! You’ll save on tuition for this course and more on future classes and public programs tickets.