About YiddishPOP

YiddishPOP is a unique Yiddish language learning program that can be followed at your own pace.

YiddishPOP systematically expands the student’s knowledge of grammar and vocabulary constantly building on previously taught elements. It coordinates Yiddish grammar and vocabulary into cohesive, level-appropriate lessons. Each lesson contains an animated movie, composed of a story, an introduction to the new vocabulary, and the relevant grammar topics taught. Eight engaging features and games accompany each movie, educating in a way that feels fun and seamless while helping to broaden the student’s appreciation and understanding of Yiddish language and culture.

Jump in and see for yourself. Lesson 1

YiddishPOP is the fruition of a dream.

YiddishPOP is based on BrainPOP ESL, the work and creation of Naomi Prawer Kadar, Ph.D. (1949-2010) and her team. Dr. Naomi Kadar received her certification in ESL from the Hebrew University in 1973 and her Ph.D. in Yiddish Children's Literature from Columbia University in 2007. As a passionate student and dedicated language teacher for over 40 years, Naomi’s extensive experience as a classroom teacher, curriculum strategist and teacher trainer, was essential for the development of YiddishPOP. The program she developed for ESL has earned distinctions and prizes worldwide.

Dr. Kadar’s dream was to develop an educational Yiddish program, following the same pedagogy she used in BrainPOP ESL. However, she did not live to see that vision realized. In her memory and honor, her family undertook the development of YiddishPOP. The Kadar family gathered a team of Yiddish scholars and specialists to create the program that brings Yiddish pedagogy into the 21st century, while making learning the language accessible and fun for all ages.

At the core of the YiddishPOP approach is the recognition of the needs of the language learner. The program brings together the best of language-learning pedagogy with the most innovative interactive media and original materials. Providing contextualized language and content for the new learner, lessons are presented in the familiar exchanges of the program’s characters: Nomi, Moby the robot, and their friends. Idiomatic and cultural nuances are incorporated through animated visuals of these endearing characters that model social cues and demonstrate appropriate language use, facilitating understanding through humorous and memorable moments.

Each YiddishPOP lesson encompasses three- interconnected sections: a movie featuring an animated story that uses new vocabulary and new grammar; the Vokabular which explains the vocabulary of each movie; and the Gramatik which highlights the new grammar used in the movie. Each section can be repeated as many times as necessary. Additionally, each lesson is accompanied by the following features:

Nokh Protim – explains the grammar points in the lesson.

Verter, Verter, verter – illustrates and drills the new vocabulary.

Leyen – teaches the alphabet and reading skills. As the lessons increase in difficulty, Leyen progresses to offer short reading comprehension exercises.

Shrayb – offers instruction and practice writing the letters and words introduced in Leyen, leading to guided writing exercises.

Her un zog nokh – allows the student to practice pronouncing words and phrases from the movie.

Shpil! – is a game that reinforces what has been taught in the lesson.

Genitungen – is where a student can review what was learned before taking the quiz.

Du kenst oykh – is a quiz that helps assess the student’s mastery of the lesson material.

Farn Lerer – This part of the program is aimed at educators and parents. It provides a conceptual overview of the lesson, a section delving into the cultural richnesses touched upon by the lesson itself, and separate guiding materials for teachers with suggested activities and exercises for use in a classroom. All these materials appear in both Yiddish and English.