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2006-05-12
Vilnius Summer Program in Yiddish 2006: An Update

Plans for this year's Yiddish summer program are proceeding apace. Since our recent e-mail announcement, we have added to our richly diverse cultural program several new lectures in both Yiddish and English, a Rokhl Korn dramatization, and a concert of Yiddish art songs by the young Vilna tenor Rafaelas Karpis. In the weeks ahead, the list of events will grow further.

Our 2006 Students: As of this writing, we have accepted applicants from the following thirteen countries: Canada, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Uruguay, and the U.S.A. They represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds, pursuits, and interests, and span all age brackets from nineteen into the senior years. In linguistic background, our students range from eager beginners to seasoned speakers, though not necessarily readers and writers, of Yiddish, with all gradations in between.

Faculty Announcement: Due to a new academic appointment --on which we heartily congratulate him!--our veteran faculty member Professor Jerold Frakes will be busy relocating this summer. In his stead, we have happily appointed Professor Jan Schwarz (University of Chicago). Prof. Schwarz was born and raised in a Yiddish-speaking family in Denmark, where he completed his undergraduate education. In 1997 he earned the Ph.D. degree in Yiddish literature at Columbia University (N.Y.). Beside the University of Chicago, he has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois, and Northwestern University. He has lectured widely in the U.S.A., Europe, and Israel, and has published two dozen journal articles in the field of Yiddish literature, including studies on major Yiddish writers of Vilna. In 2005, he published the book Imagining Lives: Autobiographical Fiction of Yiddish Writers. Among the authors he treats in it are Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sholem Aleichem, Sholem Yankev Abramovitsh, Jonah Rosenfeld, Yankev Glatshteyn, I. L. Peretz, and Chaim Grade.

Update on Housing: Participants who wish to live in the plain, but comfortable Tauro dormitory, about 10-12 minutes by foot from classes, should notify program coordinator Olga Bliumenzon. All rooms in Tauro (4th and 5th floors, walk-up) are doubles. Double occupancy will cost $150 per bed for the month; single occupancy will cost $300. Please specify your preference.

All wishing to live in a private apartment, either singly or with another, have been--or will be--referred by Olga to our experienced rental agency. All apartments will be located within easy walking distance of classes. Due to conditions prevailing in Vilnius during the summer, notification of apartment arrangements will come relatively late. However, our agents will see to it that all participants are satisfactorily housed. Be sure to communicate your wishes to them in detail! You may also turn to Olga with your housing questions.

Application Deadlines: The application deadline for Regular Fee applicants (combined academic and cultural program) is 1 June.

A number of Student Fee applicants, including Scholarship Aid applicants, both in Europe and North America, have requested a deadline extension. For this reason, we are extending the application deadline from 1 April to 15 May. However, we urge all applicants to submit their papers as soon as possible!

Scholarship Aid: Thanks to our grant from the European Union program Culture 2000, this year we can offer special aid to qualified citizens of the EU and five additional participating European countries. (For details, please see our website at http://www.judaicvilnius.com/en/main/summer).

The large number of aid requests already received dictates that individual allocations be limited in amount. However, we assure all applicants that their requests will be reviewed fairly and judiciously in accordance with their stated needs and our resources. We extend this same assurance to all applicants for aid from our regular budget. Aid grants will be announced on 1 June.

Summer Program Scholarship Fund: Friends of Yiddish are invited to contribute to a permanent Summer Program Scholarship Fund. The fund is expressly intended to help students with proven need. Contributions can be made to

Friends of the Vilnius Yiddish Institute

2425 Colorado Avenue Suite 180

Santa Monica, California 90404 / USA

Please note in a cover letter that the donation is earmarked for the "Summer Program Scholarship Fund." U.S. donations are tax deductible.

Whatever the amount, all donations will help deserving students of Yiddish language and culture--who would otherwise lose out on the opportunity--to take part in our Summer Program.