י״ג אב ה׳תשפ״ו | July 27, 2026
Teaching Students to Speak Yiddish Is Easier Than You Think
“With the discussion about teaching Yiddish arising again, I would like to share a letter I wrote to a fellow mechanech after last year’s Kinus Hamechanchim on how to teach Yiddish successfully in the classroom.”
By Rabbi Avrohom Schtroks – Melamed, Kingston PA
With the discussion about teaching Yiddish arising again, I would like to share a letter I wrote to a fellow mechanech after last year’s Kinus Hamechanchim on how to teach Yiddish successfully in the classroom.
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Dear —-,
Regarding the question you raised about teaching Yiddish to children who come from homes where Yiddish is not spoken, I would divide the question into three parts:
- What is the benefit of teaching children in Yiddish?
- Is this something the Rebbe wanted or encouraged?
- Is it practical, in today’s day and age, for the children in our classrooms?
Regarding the first two questions, there was much discussion at the Kinus, and I will not try to address them fully here. What I can share, בעזרת ה׳, is a practical approach to teaching Yiddish to children whose parents may not understand Yiddish and may even have concerns about it.
There is a well-known story about the Mezritcher Maggid. Before he came to the Baal Shem Tov, he had many difficult questions and doubts. But when he finally came and saw the Baal Shem Tov, his questions fell away.
In a similar way, many of the questions about teaching Yiddish become much clearer once a teacher sees it working in an actual classroom. When children who did not grow up speaking Yiddish begin to understand it, respond to it, and even speak it themselves, it becomes clear that this is not only possible – it is practical.
In my Pre-1-A classroom, teaching Yiddish happens in three stages:
1. Creating a Yiddish classroom environment
When children enter a new classroom, they are still becoming comfortable with their surroundings. Their sense of familiarity depends greatly on how the teacher presents the environment.
From the first day, I refer to and identify classroom objects and routines in Yiddish: the desks, cubbies, row, and so on. In this way, the children begin picking up Yiddish naturally from the outset.
2. Introducing useful Yiddish vocabulary
Each week, we learn seven to ten common classroom or school-related words in Yiddish. From that point on, we make a game of using those Yiddish words instead of the English ones.
Sometimes, Rebbi “forgets” the English word and only remembers it in Yiddish. This encourages the students to pay attention, use the Yiddish words themselves, and gradually make them part of their vocabulary.
3. Full Yiddish instruction
Once the children are comfortable in the classroom and know the routines well, I tell them: “Now we are flying to Yiddishland. Rebbi is only going to speak Yiddish.”
I explain that at first they may not understand everything, but that I will use pictures, actions, and visual aids so they can follow along. I tell them that, בעזרת ה׳, within one month they will understand.
For words that come up again and again, I use only Yiddish. For newer or less familiar words, I first say the word in Yiddish, then briefly give the English meaning, and then return to using the Yiddish word. In this way, the children steadily build their vocabulary.
This stage is especially important because it gives the children true absorption. It is also the part that parents are often most concerned about. What I tell the children is what I tell the parents: at first, it may feel unfamiliar, but it works.
I have taught in three different communities: Oholei Torah, Monsey, and Kingston. In all three places, most – if not all – of the children did not speak Yiddish at home. Many did not know a word of Yiddish.
People sometimes assume that there is simply something in the air at Oholei Torah that causes children to speak Yiddish. But the reality is that it happens because mechanchim invest the effort to create a Yiddish-speaking environment.
In each of these communities, during my first year, some parents initially had concerns about Yiddish instruction. But once they saw that the children from the previous year truly understood and had learned Yiddish, they became comfortable with the approach and trusted that it would work.
By Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the children generally have a very good understanding of Yiddish.
Helping the students speak comfortably
As an added step, I also try to help the students speak Yiddish themselves, and I do this in two stages:
First, I encourage them to speak Yiddish to me. When we come to Parshas Shemos and discuss the importance of Bnei Yisroel speaking their unique language, I announce that any student who speaks only Yiddish to me throughout the day will receive a treat. (Yes, that’s what treats were created for.)
We do this for two weeks. By then, the students are comfortable speaking to me in Yiddish. Afterwards, we continue the incentive once a week for maintenance.
The second stage is encouraging students to speak Yiddish with one another. Interestingly, this often begins naturally after the first stage. After Pesach, when we again speak about the importance of the Yiddishe language, I tell them that students who speak only Yiddish with each other will receive another special treat.
Again, we do this consistently for two weeks. It then becomes part of their habit, and we continue with a weekly incentive for maintenance.
Often, after the first stage, students begin speaking Yiddish with their parents at home if the parents know Yiddish. After the second stage, the children naturally begin speaking Yiddish with each other – even outside of cheder – at shul and playdates!
I receive incredible feedback from parents who are amazed and happy to hear their children speaking Yiddish, even from parents who don’t understand Yiddish themselves. To this day, I have never had a parent complain, “Why did my son learn Yiddish?”
The above approach can work in older grades as well, and I know many teachers who have done so in a short period of time with great success.
I will add that I myself didn’t speak Yiddish well before I started. But as I did it with my class, my vocabulary grew until I could speak it comfortably.
Wishing you much hatzlacha in being mechanech chassidishe talmidim!
COMMENTS
זייער גוט.
I have heard from people who learned there in the 5730s that most boys did not speak Yiddish at home, and yet they picked it up fully in cheder. It can be done.
Brunoy yeshiva welcomed many French bochurim from sefardishe backgrounds who didn’t know a word of Yiddish. Yet, they learned by Reb Nissan and the other hanhala and picked up Yiddish perfectly.
This continues until today BH.
If you speak in Yiddish, you identify with chassidim of the past and other chassidim who speak Yiddish. You feel like a part of that world even living in America. When you speak English you end up associating with American frum Jews and culture.
The rebbe is against teaching in the classroom for kids from non speaking yiddish homes. There are letters and sharp yechidus’en along those lines.
There are mainos both ways. The Derher article lumped together a bunch of mainos without havchana of context: students background and level of Yiddishkeit, age of students, local politics, etc.
As noted above, Oholei Torah and Brunoy taught in Yiddish despite the fact that many students didn’t know Yiddish.
I would love to know the sources where the Rebbe says to soak Yiddish, when the kids win miss out on a month or two of learning.
I find it funny (sad) that people are worried about the lost learning, but aren’t concerned by the colossal waste of time learning that goes on in our mosdos.
You would think that boys learning in English chadorim would be fluent in Chumash, a few sedorim of Mishnayos, and some mesechtos of Gemara. That is FAR from what is happening (and the mesivtos strugle to teach many of them basic Gemara). But the culprit is … Yiddish!
It’s ironic that many of the rebbis who speak in Yiddish (like the author of this article) produce students who know much more than other rebbis.
the way the author of the article does it in kindergarten there is no learning missing, on the contrary, it enhances the learning and makes it easier, and the Rebbe said that this is precisely the way it should be done, that the kids should be speaking from a very young age regular talk then, it is good to continue to teach in Yiddish!
Rabbi Schtroks taught my son in Pre-1a and he understands and speaks Yiddish today thanks to his teaching.
ווען מען טייטשט חומש אין ענגליש, איז דאס בייבל
When one translates chmuash in English it becomes Bible…
– the rebbe, to rabbi gurary from South Africa.
I am a baalas teshuva and I had a smattering of Yiddish from my parents and grandparents. After a few courses in college, Rebbe’s sichos etc, I found Yiddish to be my almost fluent second language. When my children were young, I spoke only Yiddish for the first few years. After they learned Hebrew kriah, I taught them Yiddish and they caught on immediately and read and wrote exclusively in Yiddish.
Recently, I tried this with my grandchildren and just knowing kriah (1st grade) they were able to read in Yiddish, I was pleasantly surprised . My older kids are grateful to have been taught Yiddish early on to prepare them for learning.
finally, something with a name.
my suggestion: it should be forbidden to quote the rebbe on anash.org without a source. there are plenty of other websites for that…
Sounds like a great technique.
Is there something like this for adults to learn yiddish?
You are right context is important. But this article gives a beautiful idea without providing any context. If there are sharp answers from the Rebbe, then we should proceed with caution in either direction. I know someone who the Rebbe told him that if he continues teaching in his school yiddish, will be responsible for the children going OTD. That’s pretty scary. So it might be correct or not correct. Every case is different. This article doesn’t have any disclaimers.
You claim a story without giving any name or context. Who were his students? How was he teaching them?
I’ll tell you a secret: There are teachers who teach in English and their students go OTD… There are qualified mechanchim and unqualified ones. There are mechanchim who teach well and those who don’t.
This is the point: If you talk in “your own language” like you’re talking to the wall, they won’t connect or understand. If you teach lovingly and help them through, they will excel in any language.
Caution: make sure the kids understand what they are translating into Yiddish!
I know personally multiple people who did not speak it at home and were taught in oholei Torah how to translate Gemara into Yiddish perfectly but when they got to zal and sat across from me, now learning in English and trying to understand what they are saying, all they have is Yiddish words they don’t know the meaning of. Watch out!
Teaching in Yiddish should never ever come at the expense of understanding the Torah you are learning!
I think we should speak to the parents that Yiddish should be the language in the house. why are all speeches in 770 in English? why are shiurim in Chabad yeshivos in English?
רואים בחוש שכדי להשפיע על אחינו בני ישראל החרדים הרי זה דוקא ע”י יידיש משא”כ אם מדברים יידיש בכובד ובשפה רפה וכו’ אין להדיבורים שום השפעה כלל
יש גדולי ישראל חת”ס שכתבו שעפ”י הירושלמי הוה לדבר בלשון העמים אחד מי”ח דבר שגזרו עליהם ואידיש וכן לאדינו לאחינו הספרדים היינו ששבשו לשון העמים בכוונה היינו אידיש הוא לשון דייטש בשיבוש ולאדינו לשון שפאניא במשובש כן מבואר בתשובות של החת”ס ובספרו על התורה תורת משה פרשת נשא על פסוק כה תברכו מבואר שדברי התורה המלובשים בלשוןהעמים אין להם ההשפעה הנכונה
Oh. What an amazing article.
Can you please share your Curriculum? Which words you introduce to begin with, which words you use each week? I would like to try a program like this in my own home.
Parents pushed similarly in kfar chabad for the school to teaching yiddish. the Rebbe wrote a complete letter rejecting their arguments and said this is a purview of the parents not the school. Why are we smarter than the Rebbe. . T ell the parents who want everything taught in Yiddish that they most
Here is something else from Yechidus – Adar Sheni 20, 5725 about parents complaining why there is no yiddish in school: “They probably also want their children to grow up to be Shomrei T orah Umitzvos, T orah observant Jews. If their children will be taught in Yiddish, which is a strange language to them, they may develop distaste to everything they learn.This will affect them in the future development of their personal Yiddishkeit. It is appropriate to speak to them in Yiddish during their playtime, recess, breaks, or when telling them a story as this will help expand their familiarity with the language. However not when teaching them formal Yiddishkeit
subjects.
The Rebbe supported and paid for Oholei Torah which taught in Yiddish.
The mechanchim al asar need to see that the children can understand and are happy. Stop the fear mongering.
I had a son who was last year in tzeirei hatmimim summer camp, and they implemented this directive perfectly. rabbi klein explained to me that based on this letter, for the learning there are optional english classes, but all the plays, songs, announcements are in pure yidish. i mean real yidish, not boro park yinglish. the result is that my son learned the rebbes language in a fun way, and this year asked to go to the yidish class for learning too!
Maybe it’s important to teach children to speak Yiddish. But why does you have to teach Torah in Yiddish? Why can’t we teach Torah in English and teach Yiddish as a language?
The way young children learn a language is by being immersed in it. They pick it up fairly quickly.
It’s not convincing to say that the best way to immerse them is to use a language they’re not familiar with while simultaneously trying to teach them a new concept. It’s best if the immersion happens in conversation, conversations, stories, etc.,
but the new academic material being taught should be in the language most familiar
We can argue about theories, but the fact is that it works. Children adapt much differently than adults.
Correction
Here is a collection of guidelines from the Rebbe on the subject
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LI-VOyZ0AAUN5JLLq38_UxiBU1dFmG1v/view?usp=drivesdk
The Rebbe spoke to people acrossthe world. Did he ever worry that he’d lose them due to the language barrier?
To the contrary, people learnt the language.
In yechidus he didn’t insist on speaking to people in yiddish
For most teachers today Yiddish is not their language of comfort