Source: The National Yiddish Book Center
The Great Jewish Books Teacher Summer Seminar (July 7–August 2, 2019) is a program for teachers at Jewish middle and high schools interested in enriching their curricula with materials that reflect the breadth and depth of modern Jewish literature. The four-week seminar takes place at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, home to exhibits on Jewish history and culture as well as to a vast collection of Yiddish books.
While in Amherst, participants survey modern Jewish literature from the Enlightenment to the present day, studying with leading scholars in the field. The survey includes writers from Israel, the United States, and throughout the Diaspora writing in Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, English, and other languages. (All non-English texts are provided in English translation.) Along the way, participants read works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction by writers such as Sholem Aleichem, Gertrude Stein, Paul Celan, Dvora Baron, Isaac Babel, Franz Kafka, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Adrienne Rich, and Cynthia Ozick.
In addition to studying and discussing texts, each participant develops a set of teaching materials to be shared on our Teacher Resources website. And as part of the seminar, participants also attend a conference on Jewish literature pedagogy, in which they share teaching practices and learn from other experienced teachers.
After the seminar is over, participants stay connected with one another throughout the subsequent schoolyear, as they continue to develop new approaches for incorporating modern Jewish literature into their classrooms.
Each teacher accepted to the program receives a stipend of $3,000, as well as room and board for the duration of the seminar. Participants cover the cost of their own transportation to and from the Yiddish Book Center.
For more information and registration, click here.