FAQ

The following FAQ presents questions and concise answers about:

• Yiddish
• the Yiddish Press
• the Index to Yiddish Periodicals (IYP).

It also provides links to more in depth articles in the Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe and to other important Yiddish resources.
If you have a question or issue not addressed here please write us.

About Yiddish

Is Yiddish primarily a religious language?

Although in the 21st century the majority of Yiddish speakers belong to ultra-orthodox communities, before World War II, Yiddish was the spoken language of approximately 13 million Jews with a spectrum of religious and secular identities and commited to various political ideologies including socialism and zionism. Modern literary Yiddish whose development can be tracked in the pages of the Yiddish press as well as in secular Yiddish literature, was used as medium for conveying the diversity of European Jewish civilization.
For a full description of the history of Yiddish, see here 

About the Yiddish press

When did modern Yiddish language periodicals begin to be published and how large was their readership?

Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, newspapers and periodicals flourished with wide-interest audiences in Eastern Europe for nearly a century. The Yiddish press in Eastern Europe reached its peak years in interwar Poland with Haynt and Der moment, both having circulation levels of 100,000.
For a full history of Jewish newspapers and periodicals, see here

Why is the Yiddish Press important for Jewish studies?

The Yiddish press is a window into the struggles and strivings of the Jewish diaspora. Because Jews lived scattered in various national territories and lacked political autonomy, the Yiddish press played an exceptional role in the cultural and political life of  Jewry throughout the world. The Yiddish press served as a forum for formulating and debating Jewish national interests, in lieu of the usual parliamentary bodies. It offered its readers not just information about current events but also a call to greater activism and involvement in wide array of national  and political questions. The Yiddish press also showcased the works of modern Yiddish writers, artists and thinkers. The Index to Yiddish Periodical (IYP) provides the student of Judaism access to the extraodinary  richness of Jewish life and culture reflected in the pages of the Yiddish press.

About the Index to Yiddish Periodicals

What is the Index to Yiddish Periodicals and what is its special contribution to online Jewish studies resources?

The Index to Yiddish Periodicals (IYP) is a Yiddish-language bibliographical project which provides the user with the ability to search more than 280,000 bibliographical records from about 1000 Yiddish publications throughout the world from 1862 onwards. Instead of combing through physical archives in distant locations, users can search or browse the IYP database, locate the desired items and immediately access a digital version of original printed material with the click of a button.  IYP includes a publication history of the indexed publications to give the general reader a larger historical context.
IYP is the most significant online tool for locating and accessing primary sources in the Yiddish press.

Are all Yiddish publications included in IYP?

Many Yiddish publications were not included in the Index to Yiddish Periodicals. The main criterion for choosing the publications for inclusion in IYP was the importance of a given publication in the forming and reflecting major trends in modern Jewish society and culture.

What are the major publications indexed in IYP?

A full run of the most important Yiddish daily newspapers published in Warsaw – Haynt and Der moment — from their inception until the Holocaust.
The major Yiddish periodicals published in interwar Poland in the fields of culture, literature, politics and pedagogy, including a full run of the weekly Literarishe bleter (1924-1939).
The major Yiddish literary, cultural and pedagogical periodicals published in Ukraine, Russia and Soviet Russia in the years 1917–1948, including a full run of Eynikayt (1942–1948).
A  selection of Yiddish periodicals published in Rumania before World War II in the fields of culture and literature, including a full run of the two most important weeklies of that period: Arbeter-tsaytung (1921-1931) and Tshernovitser bleter (1929-1937).
The major Yiddish periodicals published in the United States in the fields of culture and literature, since the end of the 19th century. A selection of literary Yiddish periodicals published in Palestine, as well as a few items published after 1948.
See the complete list of indexed publications

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