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This paper investigates the teaching of Yiddish in general and Haredi (haredi, contemporary Hebrew term for ultra-Orthodox, plural haredim) schools in Israel that receivefundingfrom the State. It examines the goals andcontent of Yiddish education in these sectors, the curricular materials used, the nature of teacher-trainingprograms, andattitudes to the study of Yiddish.
The oral and written uses of Yiddish, modern Hebrew, andLoshen Kodesh (the Hebrew ofholy texts) in Haredi schools reflect the changing relationships between the Haredi Community and the State and the evolving r öle ofwomen in Haredi society. Serious, high-level instruction for boys, especially in the Hasidic schools, is conducted through the oral medium of Yiddish, although Hebrew may be used in the lower grades and for the limitedsecular studies that are taught. In the girls'schools, serious higher-leveleducation was conducted in Hebrew, with Yiddish relegated to the lower grades and/or to Hasidic groups who are ambivalent about education for girls altogether. The recent incorporation of Yiddish studies into the curriculum of Hebrew language schools, the expansion ofits use äs a language of instruction, and the more structured study ofthe Yiddish language, including writing andgrammar in girls' schools, is related to changes within the Haredi Community, äs well äs to the quasi-sanctified Status of Yiddish thatprotects the girls from thepossible effects ofa wider ränge ofsecular studies. In the generalschools, despitepublic support for and acceptance of the legitimacy and importance of Yiddish language and culture, institutional disputes and budgetary factors have stopped the increase in the number of schools that offered Yiddish äs a subject for study and the number ofhours taught.
