I learned to speak Yiddish from my father, Mordkhe Schaechter, a Yiddish professor who devoted his life to ensure that Yiddish remain an actively spoken language, and from my mother, Charne, a classical pianist who learned Yiddish from her immigrant parents.

Every day at the start of his class, my father would put his wristwatch on the table and ask his Yiddish students to talk about די נײַעס פֿון טאָג or the news of the day. It could be anything: what was in the paper that morning, what had happened at home or at work the day before. The point was to get his students talking — in Yiddish — and then base the lesson on the grammatical errors he heard. It was a very personalized way of teaching where the language needs of his own students comprised the essence of the curriculum.

Sharing the “news of the day” in Yiddish itself, is still the heart of our work at The Forward. We publish new content daily, both articles and videos, and in doing so carry on a tradition that connects to the history and heritage of so many American Jews. Would you take a moment to honor our Yiddish coverage with a donation to The Forward today?

May is Jewish American Heritage Month and a chance to pay tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American history, culture, and society. 

Yiddish is a ubiquitous part of this history and culture. It was the lingua franca of the Lower East Side when The Forward first started, and for nearly 100 years we have continued to publish exclusively in Yiddish, staying true to our mission across all media.

And it’s still an important part of our work at The Forward, a tradition we now carry to a new generation of readers, viewers, and listeners. Yiddish has always brought my community together and I am incredibly proud to continue this work at The Forward today, especially during this challenging time. We are providing instructions to Hasidim on how to stay safe, posting our Yiddish Word of the Day video series, and sharing uplifting content like new Yiddish songs to keep our community informed and connected.

During Jewish American Heritage Month, donate to support The Forward’s Yiddish coverage. In doing so, you’ll honor the legacy and future of this defining part of the American Jewish experience.

אַ דאַנק –  Thank you,

Rukhl Schaechter
Yiddish Editor, The Forward