Turn up the Chutzpah This Winter: Workers Circle Announces Winter in Yiddishland Courses
— Registration for online Yiddish language, music, and culture courses is open —
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2026
Contact: Britney Trachtenberg, britney@anatgerstein.com, (929) 623-0241
The Workers Circle, a 125-year-old Jewish nonprofit based in New York City and the leading global provider of Yiddish language education, announces Winter in Yiddishland Online, an annual program taking place on Sunday, February 1, 2026. Open to learners of all ages, the program brings together participants from around the world for Yiddish classes at every level, lectures by leading scholars, and workshops in klezmer, Yiddish song, and Yidishe nigunim.
The program begins at 9:30 a.m. ET with free offerings, including Yiddish Yoga and a Welcome to Winter in Yiddishland gathering. Classes and workshops are scheduled across three learning periods, allowing participants to choose sessions that match their interests and experience levels, ranging from beginner and conversation-based Yiddish to advanced language study, history, literature, music, and dance.
“We’re excited to welcome people back for a day of learning, singing, and being in conversation together,” said Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle. “People can jump in wherever they feel comfortable, whether that’s their first Yiddish class or a deeper dive into language, music, and history.”
The day concludes with free evening offerings, including the Workers Circle Annual Lorraine Buch Yiddish Concert and a Yiddish Sing-Along with Cindy Paley. Advance registration is required for all offerings, including free programs.
Winter in Yiddishland is part of the Workers Circle’s year-round Yiddish language offerings, which consist of three online semesters each year and serve nearly 1400 students from 20+ countries and 30+ states of the United States annually. Each semester features dozens of classes, including conversation courses at every level and specialized offerings in Yiddish literature, history, folklore, music, and culture, taught by instructors from around the world.
Also, the Workers Circle is launching Let There Be Yiddish / Zol Zayn Yidish, a new program for adults 60+ and beyond, featuring six free beginner mini-courses taking place February 2–19. Designed especially for adults who have not previously taken a Workers Circle class, the program offers a welcoming, cozy entry point into Yiddish language, community, and lifelong learning.
In addition to its online offerings, the Workers Circle also hosts Trip to Yiddishland, its annual summer retreat held at Circle Lodge on Sylvan Lake in Dutchess County, New York. Now in its third decade, the weeklong program unites learners of all ages and experience levels for immersive Yiddish language, music, and dance classes, creating a rare intergenerational space where Yiddish culture is lived as well as learned.
Registration for Winter in Yiddishland Online is $25 per period, per individual class, with several free offerings available throughout the day.
For full schedule details and registration information, visit: https://www.circle.org/winter-in-yiddishland-2026.
The Workers Circle (or Der Arbeter Ring, as it is known in Yiddish) was founded over a century ago by Yiddish-speaking immigrants to New York and has been at the forefront of the contemporary Yiddish renaissance, teaching the language for over 35 years and presiding over its surge in popularity.
About the Workers Circle
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2025, the Workers Circle is a national Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who came to the United States fleeing autocracy and persecution and seeking democratic freedoms and economic opportunities. That history drives the organization’s work for an inclusive democracy and social equality today. Through strategic and impactful social justice initiatives, vibrant Yiddish language classes and programs, and interactive educational activities, the Workers Circle powers a growing multigenerational community of 150,000+ activists creating meaningful social change, building transformative coalitions, and demanding a mutiracial multicultural democracy for all.