The World of Sholem Aleichem
Hosted By: My Jewish Learning
5 Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET
Oct. 13 – Nov. 10
If you’re a fan of “Fiddler on the Roof,” you’ve experienced a taste of Sholem Aleichem’s Yiddish literary world: The 19th-century shtetls of Eastern Europe, rendered in bright color, full of hardship, humor and love.
The writer, born Salomon Rabinovich, is one of history’s most beloved Yiddish writers, a giant who helped the language get read around the world. (And yes, his stories about Tevye the dairyman were the basis for “Fiddler.”)
Dive into the life, writings and legacy of Sholem Aleichem in this engaging five-week online course from My Jewish Learning and Debra Caplan, one of the top historians in the field.
Each week, we’ll read and discuss one short story — from the comic mishaps of Tevye to the sharp wit of his other shtetl tales, exploring how Sholem Aleichem captured the joys, anxieties and absurdities of Jewish life in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century.
No prior knowledge of Yiddish literature is required, just curiosity and a willingness to laugh. Together we’ll unpack Aleichem’s distinctive voice, his blend of humor and heartbreak, and why his characters still feel so relevant today.
