Yiddish holds a special place in Germany’s heritage. As one of many diasporic Jewish languages, Yiddish emerged over a thousand years ago in the German-speaking regions of Europe. It served as the everyday language of Ashkenazi Jews, who brought it along as they migrated. Yet Yiddish has never entirely left Germany.

Jews’ changing role in society since the Enlightenment led many speakers to switch to German. But in the 1880s, a wave of Yiddish-speaking immigrants brought a newly confident culture to Germany. Yiddish was becoming a vehicle of literature, theater, politics, song – and Jewish identity.

More than 5 million Yiddish speakers were murdered in the Holocaust, but islands of living Yiddish survived. And recently, a community of Yiddish-speaking artists, scholars, and activists has emerged in Berlin – including the tour guide.

This tour explores the overlooked role Yiddish has played for Jews in Germany and reflects on how languages play into our own family’s story and sense of self.