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HUC-JIR launches ‘Languages of the Jews of Iran’ series

The Jewish Language Project is launching a new event series designed to expose people to the rich linguistic history of the Jewish people in Iran.

From now through March, “Languages of the Jews of Iran” a virtual series of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), will feature scholars, musicians and language activists discussing endangered linguistic heritage.

“Most Jews have heard of Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino but are not aware of the many other languages Jews have spoken throughout history,” said Sarah Bunin Benor, founding director of the Jewish Language Project and professor of contemporary Jewish studies and linguistics at HUC-JIR. “This event series will raise awareness about the many Jewish languages of Iran.”

The series begins on Jan. 9 with a panel of scholars providing a linguistic and historical overview. That event will include a performance of a Judeo-Isfahani song by Galeet Dardashti, an anthropologist and musician descended from a distinguished Persian musical family. Subsequent events will feature scholars, activists and musicians covering spoken regional languages including Judeo-Kashani and Judeo-Yazdi, the Jewish Neo-Aramaic of Jews from the Kurdish region, and new research on Judeo-Persian in the 20th century.

“Jews in Iran historically spoke many languages from Semitic, Median and Persian languages families,”  Benor said, adding, “The languages or dialects of Jews in different cities and towns were so different that their speakers often could not understand each other. In the 20th century, most Jews of Iranian descent shifted to speaking standard Persian in Iran, or to Modern Hebrew, English and other languages after emigrating elsewhere. As a result, future generations risk having little or no knowledge of their ancestral tongues.”

Benior’s major focus of the Jewish Language Project is the documentation of endangered Jewish languages around the world. To enhance these efforts, she has collaborated with other groups committed to language preservation and public scholarship, including Wikitongues, the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages and the Endangered Language Alliance.

Dardashti, who is an assistant professor of Jewish music and musician-in-residence at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, emphasizes the personal and collective significance of documenting Iranian Jewish languages. “It’s so important to record these languages while we still can,” she said. “I’ve never been able to visit Hamadan or Isfahan, where my grandparents came from, but I can sing those songs and poems, and feel like I can reconnect with that piece of my identity, and that’s powerful.” 

These events will not be recorded. Admission is free and registration is required.