In this episode, the guest is Mayim Bialik, who discusses Yiddish in American English. Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom Blossom. She played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory, a role for which she received 2 Critics’ Choice Award wins, 4 Emmy nominations and a SAG Award nomination. She served as host of Jeopardy! for 2 seasons, earning her fifth Emmy nomination for her...

In this episode, the guest is Sarah Sassoon, who discusses Judeo-Baghdadi Arabic in Australian English. Sarah Sasoon is an Australian born, Iraqi Jewish writer, poet, and educator. She is the author of the award winning picture book Shoham’s Bangle and This is Not a Cholent. Her poetry micro chapbook, This is Why We Don’t Look Back was awarded the Harbor Review Jewish Women’s Poetry prize. She is an editorial advisor for Distinctions: A Sephardi and Mizrahi Journal. She is also the joint...

In this episode, the guest is Ilana Mansharov, who discusses Juhuri in Modern Hebrew and Canadian English. Ilana Mansharov began her career as a Jewish educator over 21 years ago in Toronto and the greater Toronto area. She comes in with a diverse experience teaching, guiding, developing and leading staff and programs for students of all abilities in Jewish elementary day schools and students of all ages programs in Jewish communal settings. Ilana is a native Israeli and a descendant of...

In this episode, the guest is Danny Jassen, who discusses Ladino in American English. Danny Jassen is a Seward Park, Seattle native who grew up in the Sephardic community. His maternal great-grandparents were Ladino-speaking Jewish emigrants from Turkey and the island of Rhodes. He currently serves as a board member for Sephardic Adventure Camp, North America’s only overnight Jewish camp that is a unique Sephardic experience. Having lived in Seattle, New York and Israel, you might hear him...

In this episode, the guest is Rozeeta Mavashev, whose heritage language is Bukharian. A graduate of CUNY with a Master's in Clinical Social Work from Hunter College and a BA in Education and English Literature from the College of Staten Island, Rozeeta Mavashev is deeply committed to education, which has driven her volunteerism and career path in the Jewish professional sector. Currently, she serves as the North American Executive Director at Masa Israel Journey. Rozeeta is also a fervent...

In this episode, the guest is Dr. Evelyn Maria Dean-Olmsted, who discusses the concept of heritage words. Evelyn Dean-Olmsted is an anthropologist whose academic research focuses on Jewish Latin America.  Her book, provisionally entitled The Pragmatics of Diaspora: Language, identity, and religiosity among young Syrian Jewish Mexicans is forthcoming with Brill. She currently serves as Project Lead at Rosov Consulting, where she contributes to community studies, program evaluation, and...

Heritage Words is a podcast about how we engage with our ancestral languages in new and creative ways. Heritage Words is produced by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project, which raises awareness about Jewish ancestral diversity through the lens of language. Sarah Bunin Benor is the host. The song used in this trailer is "Sheikhat Al​-​Hara / ش​ي​خ​ة ا​ل​ح​ا​ر​ة" from Fragments by Yoni Avi Battat, used with permission.