Lectures, Classes, and Tutoring with Rokhl Kafrissen

Rooster in the Cradle (Part Two): A Brief History of the Evil Eye and Yiddish Anti-Demonic Technologies You are warmly invited to join us for Rooster in the Cradle (Part Two) on Tuesday evenings, July 14, 21 and 28 at 7pm EST. ($100)   To register, send an email to cjcrokhl@gmail.com   Everyone is invited to this class, even if you haven’t taken Part 1. If you’ve ever put a red ribbon around a crib, or uttered a kinehore ( keyn ayin-hore , Yiddish for “no evil eye”), you have drawn on a rich tradition of embodied, apotropaic (anti-demonic) magic  going back thousands of years.   In many Eastern European towns, you could find Jewish men and women who specialized in exorcising the Evil Eye: the (op)shprekher(ke)s . Where a specialist wasn’t available, ordinary mothers and fathers had their own techniques for lifting bewitchments. When I say this was an embodied magic, I mean it quite literally. Even the simple act of “poo poo poo-ing” drew on the power...

Rooster in the Cradle :  A Brief History of the Evil Eye and Yiddish Anti-Demonic Technologies Thursdays, June 11, 18 & 25 at 7pm EST (online) Belief in the Evil Eye has been with us for 5000 years and is found all over the globe. Disease, sudden death, bad luck, sleeplessness, crop failure, and impotence have all been blamed on the power of a malevolent human gaze. Jewish belief in the Evil Eye ( ayin-hore ) appears in core rabbinic texts, as well as in Jewish folk cultures around the world. If you’ve ever put a red ribbon around a crib, or uttered a  kinehore  ( keyn ayin-hore , Yiddish for “no evil eye”), you have drawn on a rich tradition of apotropaic (anti-demonic) magic that goes back thousands of years. But the history of the Evil Eye, and the Jewish defense against it, goes far beyond red ribbons and kinehores . Indeed, in many shtetls and towns, you could find Jewish men and women who specialized in exorcising the Evil Eye.  Where a specialist wasn’t av...

This June I am offering a new leyenkrayz : six short stories from Found Treasures over six weeks.  (Six consecutive Wednesdays starting June 10 at 7pm)  This is really a hybrid- leyenkrayz . Each week we will read the story in English translation ahead of time. I send out the Yiddish text and in class, we read selections from the Yiddish out loud, along with a class discussion of the story in English.  This new leyenkrayz is coming after the success of my first leyenkrayz over April-May. We read the wonderful new translation of Rokhl Faygenberg's 1905 memoir, The Winding Road . Each week we read part of the Yiddish and for week 4, we had a visit from the translator, Tamara Helfer .  This hybrid format turned out to be perfect for Yiddish learners who aren't ready to read an entire Yiddish novel on their own. Reading the English ahead of the Yiddish aids comprehension tremendously. It also allows beginner and intermediate students the opportunity to think about t...

  A Holy Man with a Psychic Nose and the First Yiddish Fan-Fic: Two New Classes in April Six Week Reading Circle/ Leyenkrayz with   The Winding Road by Rokhl Feygenberg .  This will be a hybrid, Yiddish-English  leyenkrayz .  We will read the entire book using the new English translation. When we meet, the discussion will be in English and we will read selected passages out loud in Yiddish. (You’ll read as much or as little as you feel comfortable with.) Participants  will be assigned Yiddish passages in advance so they can practice ahead of time.  All levels of Yiddish reading are welcome. Participants will get valuable experience reading an older Yiddish publication which uses pre-YIVO standardization spelling. (Don’t worry, we’ll go over it together.) Reading the English translation simultaneously will also make working on the Yiddish a lot easier, especially for hesitant readers. The Winding Road is Rokhl Feygenberg's memoir of her childho...

New Mini-Class for Passover!  Elijah in Jewish Folk Culture The Prophet Elijah is one of the most intriguing figures in the Bible. Instead of dying, he was taken directly up to heaven in a flaming chariot. Not quite dead, not quite alive, his liminal status set him up to become a beloved, omnipresent character in Jewish folk cultures around the world.     In this new mini-course, we'll learn about this Elijah, a multi-faceted entity who might show up to reveal the hidden mysteries of the cosmos or... to save you from falling out a window. Long after the biblical period, Jews have called on him to exorcise the evil eye ( poo poo poo ) and thanked him for his aid in establishing new communities.    And then there's that mysterious fifth cup of wine at the Seder. We'll learn about the weird story behind that, as well. I hope you'll join us on this wild, flaming chariot ride through the many incarnations of Eliyahu hanovi - Elijah the Prophet.   Wednesday...

Charms and Remedies for Young and Old   New Class Announcement!  These Are the People in Your Neighborhood: An Introduction to Everyday Ashkenazi Magic through Memoir, Literature, and Journalism   February 11, 18, and 25th at 2pm and 7pm (EST)    Did you ever wonder if a gilgul (a wandering soul trapped between worlds) could reincarnate in a house cat? I recently found a memoir from the 1950s whose author claims just that! (Don’t make up your mind until you’ve heard the evidence.)  Yes, my reading on weird Ashkenaz has continued apace. I have a bunch of new stories to share with you. These are all my translations of never-before translated Yiddish texts. If that sounds intriguing to you, I am offering a new class in February which will be an introduction to “Everyday Ashkenazi Magic” through these in-depth Yiddish texts. We will meet some of the lesser-known personalities of Jewish Eastern Europe:  Exorcist  Healer  Herbalist  Dream Int...