The Radical Peretz
Tuition: $240 | YIVO members: $180**
This is a live, online course held twice a week on Zoom. Enrollment will be capped at about 25 students. All course details (Zoom link, syllabus, handouts, assignments, etc.) will be posted to Canvas. Students will be granted access to the class on Canvas after registering for the class here on the YIVO website. This class will be conducted in Yiddish.
Instructor: Adi Mahalel
אין דעם קורס וועלן מיר זיך פֿאַרטיפֿן אין דעם קלאַסישן מחבר יצחק־לייבוש פּרץ (1852 – 1915) און זײַנע באַציִונגען מיט די נײַ געבוירענע ייִדישע סאָציאַליסטישע קרײַזן אין משך פֿון די 1890ער יאָרן. מיר וועלן לייענען אַן אָפּקלײַב פֿון פּרצעס בעלעטריסטישע און עסיייִסטישע ווערק און שטעלן אַזעלכע פֿראַגעס ווי, למשל: ווי אַזוי האָט פּרץ זיך לכתּחילה אַנטווילקט ווי אַ סאָציאַליסט? וואָס פֿאַר אַ מין סאָציאַליזם שפּיגלט זיך אָפּ אין זײַנע ליטעראַרישע טעקסטן? ווי אַזוי האָט ער בפּועל־ממש געהאָלפֿן בײַ דער גרינדונג פֿון „ייִדישן אַרבעטער־בונד“ דורך זײַנע קולטורעלע טעטיקייטן? ווי איבערגעגעבן איז פּרץ טאַקע געווען דער לינקער פּאָליטיק, בפֿרט אין ליכט פֿון זײַנע חסידישע דערציילונגען?
אַלע מאַטעריאַלן (אָריגינעלע און קריטישע) װעלן צוגעשטעלט װערן פֿאָרױס. דער קורס איז פֿאַר העכערע מיטנדיקע לערנערס ביז סאַמע אַװאַנסירטע.
In this course, we will take a close look at the classic Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz (1852–1915) and his engagement with early Jewish socialist circles during the 1890s. Through selected readings from Peretz’s literary and essayistic works, we will explore questions such as: How did Peretz initially develop as a socialist? What kind of socialism is reflected in his literary texts? In what ways did his cultural activism contribute to the founding of the Jewish Labor Bund? How committed was Peretz to leftist politics, especially in light of his Hasidic stories?
All primary and secondary materials will be provided in advance. The course is intended for upper-intermediate to advanced learners of Yiddish.
Yiddish Level:
This course, conducted in Yiddish, is designed for upper intermediate and advanced Yiddish students, or those with a strong ability to understand written and spoken Yiddish.
Course Materials:
All course materials will be provided digitally on Canvas.
Questions? Read our 2026 Winter Yiddish Seminars FAQ.
Dr. Adi Mahalel earned his Ph.D. in Yiddish Studies from Columbia University, where his research focused on modern Jewish literatures and their intersections with culture and politics. He is the author of The Radical Isaac: I. L. Peretz and the Rise of Jewish Socialism (SUNY Press, 2023) and the translation and scholarly introduction of Hanan Ayalti’s Boom and Chains: A Yiddish Novel Set in Israel/Palestine (Wayne State University Press, 2025). His research interests include modern Yiddish and Hebrew literatures, Jewish cultures in the modern period, Israeli cultural history, and film and media studies.
Dr. Mahalel has published in peer-review journals, and contributes regularly to publications in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. He has taught courses in Jewish culture, Yiddish literature, and language at Columbia University, the University of Maryland, McGill University, and the YIVO Institute’s Summer Program.
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