JULY 1 • 2021 | 29

S

hirley Benyas, 93, a resident 
of Jewish Senior Life’s Meer 
Apartments in West Bloomfield 
for the past six years, has been teaching a 
Yiddish class for other Meer residents for 
nearly two months. 
Benyas learned to read, write and speak 
Yiddish through an afterschool program 
from the time she was 8 years old until her 
first year in college. She was also a Detroit 
Public Schools teacher for nearly 40 years. 
The class takes place once a week, on 
Thursdays at 3 p.m. 
Before Meer residents were allowed to 
congregate in the main halls and take part 

in in-person activities again, activities and 
programs took place over the building 
intercom. 
“
At one point, there was a singer who 

was doing some Yiddish songs, and some-
one asked, ‘what does it mean?’ They didn’t 
know the translations to the songs,
” Benyas 
said. “
At the same time, there’s a woman 
here who was doing a class on making 
Hebrew readings easy, and I thought if 
they’re doing Hebrew, why can’t we do 
Yiddish?”
The class consists of many residents 
who heard Yiddish being spoken by their 
parents growing up, remembering certain 
things and wanting to know the meanings 
and to learn more of the language. 
There are also some in the class who 
have never heard the language. 
“There was one woman who never heard 
any Yiddish because her parents came from 
Hungary and it was never spoken there, 
and she has come a tremendously long 
way,
” Benyas said.
The class has translated songs they’re 
familiar with, translated idioms, menus 
and foods they could order, read stories in 
Yiddish like fairytales and read poems in 
Yiddish such as Shakespeare. 
Benyas has also told the class about the 
history of the Yiddish language and how 
it came about, which she believes is very 
important.
A recent class assignment saw the attend-
ees trying to tell a little bit of their life story 
in Yiddish in four or five sentences. 
“It’s an experiment for the other people 
and an experiment for me, because I had 
never taught this as a language,
” Benyas 
said. “Each week, we try to do something 
a little bit different, and those who come 
seem to like it very much.
”
Benyas said one woman who attends the 
class is 100 years old, and she describes her 
as very bright. Benyas’ “students” are eager 
to continue learning. 
“I get a kick out of it when they pick up 
the things we’ve talked about,
” Benyas said. 
“If they understand a little bit and they get 
a few more words and they can use them, 
that’s great.
” 

‘Zeyer Gut!’

JSL resident does a “very good” job 
teaching Yiddish to her neighbors.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Shirley Benyas 
enjoys teaching 
Yiddish at Meer 
apartments.

Yiddish class with Helen Siegel, teacher Shirley 
Benyas, Anita Cywiak and Eleanor Smith.

MYRIAM COHEN, MEER PROGRAM COORDINATOR

MYRIAM COHEN, MEER PROGRAM COORDINATOR

