About Us
Meet David Katz - Our Director and Lead Translator
Growing up in Texas, I discovered my first love of Yiddish from my grandparents. While in college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, I enjoyed the small, but wonderful Yiddish collections at the Tycher Library and the Bridwell Library. I went on to complete coursework in Yiddish language at University of Wisconsin (Madison), YIVO/Bard College in New York, Yiddish Book Center in Massachusetts, and Oxford University in England.
I have near-fluency in Yiddish, and I have basic reading ability in Russian, German, Hebrew, and other languages related to the work of translating Yiddish. I also completed a master’s degree in European history from Harvard University, and I am a Texas-certified social studies teacher.
I currently teach a Yiddish language class at Collin College in Plano, and two Yiddish classes for congregations Shalom Rav in Austin and Temple Shalom in Dallas. Many Jewish Texans speak Yiddish, but few can read Yiddish handwriting, which makes me uniquely qualified to do this type of translation work.