Connecting generations and communities through language
Like physical heirlooms, languages connect families across generations. However, most Jewish families have experienced ruptures in language transmission over the past several decades. Today, an increasing number of Jews are engaging with their ancestral languages in new ways - through heritage words, language learning, language advocacy, and old family letters. Heirloom makes this important work possible, strengthening intergenerational bonds and rescuing endangered languages before it's too late.
"I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart because I thought this language was lost, and I didn't think I would find anybody who could revive it. I'm so grateful for this opportunity."
Annette Gourgey, Heirloom Learner (Judeo-Baghdadi Arabic)
TRACK 1: LANGUAGE ADVOCATE
Flexible commitment: 2-8 hours/month for a minimum of 3 months
Good for: Dedicated volunteers who need flexible hours
Language advocates watch a crash course in language activism, read an article or book about language revitalization, and commit to at least two actions per month to promote the language(s) of their choice (or Jewish languages in general). Learn more...
TRACK 2: MENTOR-LEARNER
Commitment: 50+ hours total for one year
Good for: Extremely committed speakers/learners of endangered Jewish languages who can meet regularly
Mentors (speakers of endangered languages) and learners meet for around one hour per week in person or using technology. Together, each mentor-learner pair works on learning and documenting the language through conversation and language elicitation. Learn more...
About This Track
Setting: Virtual
Flexible commitment: 2-8 hours/month for a minimum of 3 months
Good for: Dedicated volunteers who need flexible hours
Language advocates increase awareness about Jewish linguistic diversity and particular languages, create new resources for language advocacy, and create new documentation of endangered Jewish languages. They select a language and participate in several advocacy activities. The Jewish Language Project provides language advocates with a language activism crash course and toolkit, and our team is available to offer guidance.
Language Advocate Requirements
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Complete an initial commitment form.
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Watch a JLP crash course in language activism.
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Read an article or book about language revitalization.
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Commit to at least two actions per month to promote the language of your choice (or Jewish languages in general).
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Examples of actions: writing, designing, or sharing social media posts; using 10 heritage words (words from an endangered language used in your everyday language); submitting 5 heritage words for inclusion in crowdsourced online dictionaries (like the Jewish English Lexicon or the Jewish Latin American Spanish Lexicon); listening to a song in the endangered language; sharing a song; listening to an episode of the Heritage Words podcast; attending a lecture; giving a lecture; hosting an endangered language party; wearing apparel; displaying stickers; designing JLP merchandise; making a financial contribution to a language preservation organization.
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After completing each commitment, submit a form describing what you did.
We've launched this track! If you'd like us to contact you to apply, let us know here.
About This Track
Setting: Virtual or in-person
Commitment: 50+ hours total for one year
Good for: Extremely committed speakers/learners of endangered Jewish languages who can meet regularly
Mentors (speakers of endangered languages) and learners meet for around one hour per week in person or using technology. Together, each mentor-learner pair engages in language exchange in various ways according to their goals. Goals can include conversation practice, recording mini-immersion activities, adding words to an online dictionary, transcribing and translating recordings, and more.
We provide mentors and learners with the structure and resources to facilitate intergenerational language transmission. We also match mentors and learners as needed. This is a volunteer program, and no formal language training is required.
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Summer 2024: Sixteen mentors and learners from six countries piloted Heirloom's mentor-learner track.
Mentor & Learner Requirements
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Be at least 18 years old unless you have already identified a mentor (e.g., a grandparent).
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Complete an application and interview with a Jewish Language Project team member.
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Set goals for the program with your mentor or learner.
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Participate in an online orientation and mid-program gathering.
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Over the course of the year, meet for at least 50 hours (around 1 hour per week) to speak the language, preferably in person but alternatively using Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, etc.
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Encouraged: Record a 3-5-minute clip of conversation (primarily spoken by the mentor) to post on Wikitongues’ and the Jewish Language Project’s YouTube channels as language documentation assets. The mentor helps the learner transcribe and translate the clips.
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Encouraged: Using the Living Dictionaries platform, add at least 100 words to the relevant crowdsourced dictionary. The mentor provides pronunciation recordings.
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At the end of the program, participate with the larger cohort in a celebratory online event, saying a few words about the experience
In July 2024, we piloted an abbreviated version of this program. Applications have closed for this summer, but please fill out this interest form if you'd like to get involved in the future.
If you are interested in supporting Heirloom financially, please donate here or email us at jewishlanguageproject@huc.edu.
TESTIMONIALS
"I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart because I thought this language was lost, and I didn't think I would find anybody who could revive it. I'm so grateful for this opportunity.... The Heirloom program helped me to feel that I could take pride in my heritage as an Iraqi Jew and in the uniqueness and authenticity of our dialect."
Annette Gourgey, Heirloom Learner
"While I have studied multiple languages, I have always struggled to find native speakers to practice with. This program helped me to gain the regular conversation I need to improve my skills and allowed me to hear incredible stories from my mentor. An experience I will remember forever."
Natan, Heirloom Learner
"It was such a pleasure to work with [my learner]! Very proud of the progress [she's] made over the last month." Helena, Heirloom Mentor