Annual Yiddish Authority Prizes

Every year, the National Authority for Yiddish Culture awards prizes to prominent figures in the fields of arts and literature who contribute significantly to Yiddish language and culture in Israel. 

In 2019, the Authority's Public Council chose to bestow lifetime achievement awards upon:

* actress of Yiddish and Hebrew theaters Annabella Yaakov;

* veteran Yiddish teachers Rivka Reich

and Esther Rozhansky.

In 2018, such awards came to the singer, lyricist, composer Chava Alberstein & poet and translator Moshe Sachar. The ceremony took place on November 20, 2018 at the President's Palace in Jerusalem. Here are the laureates with President Reuven Rivlin, Dr. Sara Ziv (Chairperson of the Authority), Yehudit Solel (CEO of the Authority), and the actor Yakov Bodo, who got the same prize in 2016.

    Ya'akov Glatstein, American-Yiddish poet: "Talk to me in Yiddish, my Jewish land, and I'll certainly address you in Hebrew..."

רעד צו מיר ייִדיש, מײַן ייִדיש לאַנד. 
און איך וועל צו דיר רעדן עבֿרית ממילא. 
אַבֿרהם מיט שׂרהן קומען מיר אַנטקעגן 
פֿון דער מערת־המכפּלה... 

In the history of the Yiddish culture, the year 2019 is remarkable for:

* 160th anniversary of the birth of the Yiddish literature classic author Sholem Aleichem;

* 50th anniversary of the death of the prominent Yiddish poet Itzik Manger;

* 130th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Yiddish poet Dovid Hofstein;

* 100th anniversary of  founding the first Yiddish state-sponsored theater "GOSET" in Petrograd (today Saint Petersburg / Sankt Peterburg).

 Micka Cohen and Omer Halamish - pupils of the Yiddish song workshop at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, sponsored by the Authority - performing at the 2018 awards ceremony

Yiddish Radio Show – Also Online

New books published with the support of the Authority

The National Authority for Yiddish Culture was established following the Knesset's resolution authorizing it in 1996. The Authority's mission includes:

* Deepening acquaintance with and increasing exposure of the Israeli public to Yiddish culture in all of its forms;

* Fostering research of Yiddish culture;

* Promoting the instruction of Yiddish language and literature;

* Encouraging the creation of contemporary works in Yiddish, including literature, poetry, theater, etc.

* Compiling, documenting and cataloguing oral folklore and written culture in Yiddish;

* Publishing selected works both in their original Yiddish versions and in Hebrew translation;

* Organizing events for people of all ages, transmitting Yiddish heritage from generation to generation.

The Authority's activities are focused mainly in the State of Israel, but it also promotes collaboration with Yiddish cultural institutions around the world.

See two reports on our activity published in the leading Yiddish-language paper "Forverts", NY: from August 21, 2015 and from January 10, 2016.