Why is the yiddish language threatened?

Answer 1

Yiddish originated in Germany and Eastern Europe, where it was spoken by Ashkenazi Jews from Northern France to Russia. Following widespread Immigration to the UK, the USA and other countries, at first to escape localised pogroms and persecution and later to flee from the Nazis, younger Jews began to speak increasingly in the language native to the nations within which they resided. As an example, Yiddish was common amongst British Jews right up until the 1930s but was replaced by English - Hebrew was preserved due to being a holy language, but Yiddish does not have this distinction and since Jews strive to live according to the laws and customs of the land they live in, it soon began to die out. Following the Holocaust, Yiddish was widely discouraged in Israel due in part to its similarity to German and due to the new nation's attempts to unite the many people who migrated there under one tongue - Hebrew. And as the Yiddish secular culture of Central Europe had been essentially destroyed, Yiddish saw massively decreased use, except among conservative groups like the Chasidim, who had little use for the secular elements of the Yiddish culture.

In recent years, Yiddish has undergone something of a revival. This is partly because Chasid and Charedi communities, which tend to be composed of large families, have become the predominant Jewish sects in Western countries - whereas the Jewish population in the UK has been falling for some years, the Charedim are increasing in number. Both of these groups will often speak Yiddish at home, and many children now speak it as their first language. As the world becomes more tolerant, some young Jews from other sects have become keen on displaying the pride they feel in their Jewish culture and roots which has led many to learn Yiddish both in Israel and in the Diaspora - a number of universities now offer Yiddish language courses and many "teach yourself Yiddish" programmes are available. So, although widely thought to be threatened, it seems that Yiddish isn't going to vanish completely just yet.

Answer 2

Yiddish is considered threatened due to declining numbers of fluent speakers, particularly among younger generations, and the language not being as widely used in formal education or official settings. There is also concern about Yiddish not being passed down to future generations in some communities.