Thursday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM ET: Dec. 5, 12, 19, Jan. 8, 15
Chabad-Lubavitch is one of the dominant Hasidic movements today. At the same time, it appears to be quite different from all the other Hasidisms. In this class we will try to understand what precisely distinguishes Chabad from Polish and Ukrainian Hasidism — through the lens of Yiddish literature. Our reading material will offer insights into the character of Chabad in the Old Country and the origins of Chabad’s work in outreach to secular Jews (kiruv). We will be reading writers such as Hillel Zeitlin and Z. Y. Onoykhi but also the lesser known Khayim-Yitskhok Bunin. In addition, we will study excerpts from Yiddish writings by the leaders of Chabad themselves.
Thursday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM ET: Dec. 5, 12, 19, Jan. 8, 15
Chabad-Lubavitch is one of the dominant Hasidic movements today. At the same time, it appears to be quite different from all the other Hasidisms. In this class we will try to understand what precisely distinguishes Chabad from Polish and Ukrainian Hasidism — through the lens of Yiddish literature. Our reading material will offer insights into the character of Chabad in the Old Country and the origins of Chabad’s work in outreach to secular Jews (kiruv). We will be reading writers such as Hillel Zeitlin and Z. Y. Onoykhi but also the lesser known Khayim-Yitskhok Bunin. In addition, we will study excerpts from Yiddish writings by the leaders of Chabad themselves.
