Ambassador Yosef Tekoah, the retiring permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, announced today the creation of a Fund for Yiddish Culture Studies at Beersheba University in the Negev. Ambassador Tekoah, who will assume the presidency of Beersheba University when he returns to Israel shortly, said the grant was received from a distinguished New York family who prefers to remain anonymous. He said the Yiddish Culture Studies will become part of the accredited curriculum at the university.
In acknowledging the gift, Ambassador Tekoah stated that “the Yiddish Culture Studies will add a new dimension to the overall curriculum and thereby enrich the field of study for the more than 4200 undergraduates.” He went on to say: “The Yiddish language, literature and the culture of Yiddish speaking communities is part of the Jewish people’s distinguished heritage and deserves to be studied by Jewish youth everywhere. There can be no future without the knowledge and understanding of our past.”
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