For the summer program, the Book Center will select 18 students for seven weeks of immersion in Yiddish language, history and culture, June 6 to July 23, 2010. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is required. Interns receive free tuition and credits (through the University of Massachusetts) for two undergraduate courses, and access to all Book Center activities and resources, including public programs, exhibits, and the Book Center’s collection of a million Yiddish books. The program will offer three hours of language instruction each day, as well as visiting faculty lectures on the history and culture of eastern European Jews, a three-day field trip to Yiddish sites in New York City and several special events. Detailed information and an application form are available on-line at www.yiddishsummer.org. Deadline to apply is February 1, 2010.

For recent college graduates, the Book Center offers four full-time Fellowships during the 2010-2011 academic year. The Fellows will be mentored by senior members of the Center’s staff, and will undertake assignments in each of six major program areas:

Bibliography assignments will include shelving and organizing Yiddish books in the Book Center’s new, climate-controlled, on-site Deposit Library; preparing periodicals for digitization; helping students, scholars and visitors find Yiddish books; and providing support for users of the Center’s online library at yiddishbooks.org. Fellows will also participate in: Interpretation, providing guided tours to visitors of all ages; Ethnography, conducting oral history interviews with visitors, and working in the field to discover materials related to American Jewish culture; providing curatorial assistance for the Center’s new Exhibitions; providing support for Education and Public Programs, including Yiddish classes and cultural programs for adults, college courses and teacher training; and assisting with the Book Center’s numerous Web, Translation and Publications projects.

Each Fellow will receive a $20,000 stipend plus health insurance for the nine-month academic year from September 2010 through May 2011. Preferred qualifications are a B.A. in Jewish Studies or equivalent; working knowledge of Yiddish; flexibility, good nature and a spirit of adventure. To apply for a Graduate Fellowship, send cover letter, resume, college transcript and two letters of recommendation by February 1, 2010, to: aleos-urbel@bikher.org; or Amy Leos-Urbel, National Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002.

The National Yiddish Book Center received a Covenant Foundation Ignition Grant in 2008 to support the Jewish Cultural Fellows program.

The National Yiddish Book Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and distributing Yiddish and other Jewish books and opening their contents to the world through innovative programs. Its headquarters in Amherst, MA, houses exhibitions about Jewish literature, art, film, and music and other resources for visitors. For more information about the National Yiddish Book Center, visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org.