Throughout history Jews have spoken dozens of languages, many of which are now critically endangered. To preserve these languages for the future, now is the time to act. As this short film demonstrates, some grandparents and grandchildren are taking this charge seriously, teaching and learning endangered languages, such as Ladino/Judeo-Spanish (Ottoman Empire), Judeo-Arabic (Syria), Judeo-Yazdi (Yazd, Iran), and Hulaulá (Sanandaj, Iran). Much work remains to document these and other languages before it’s too late.
This film premiered at the “Gala Celebrating the Documentation of Endangered Jewish Languages” on Sunday October 17th, 2021 (see full credits below). The Gala was an online event organized by the Jewish Language Project, Wikitongues and Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. We have committed to recording speakers of endangered Jewish languages and making an incredible array of digital resources such as video oral histories and online Living Dictionaries available to the public.
Donate today! https://tinyurl.com/jewish-languages
The funds will be used towards:
– Recording and safeguarding oral histories by fluent speakers, and making those recordings accessible online through YouTube
– Editing, captioning and subtitling videos so they are multilingual and useful for educational and research purposes
– Collecting data and recording audio to create Living Dictionaries in multiple endangered Jewish languages
– Training the next generation of language activists to continue this documentation and revitalization work for years to come.
FILM CREDITS
Speakers: Rochelle Ginsburg, Robert Carlson, Huguette Galante, Sarah Sabin, Narges Esmailzadeh, Davita Danesh, Massoud Tavakoli, Alan Niku.
Directed and edited by Alan Niku
Executive producers: Sarah Bunin Benor, Alan Niku
Introduction narration by Sarah Bunin Benor
Assistant producers: Daniel Bögre Udell, Anna Luisa Daigneault, Hannah Pressman
Co-sponsor: USC Casden Institute
Learn more
https://wikitongues.org/projects/jewish-languages/
https://livingtongues.org/jewish-languages/
https://www.jewishlanguages.org/