YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

OOJJ — אױך A Writing System That Includes --- OOJJ (אױך, pronounced “oikh”) means to include. It is a writing system that includes — a bridge uniting Yiddish, Hebrew, and English sounds within the Latin alphabet family. --- Why OOJJ (אױך) Instead of YIVO The YIVO orthography standardized Yiddish in the 20th century and remains invaluable for scholarship. But YIVO’s Latin transliteration was designed for academics, not for everyday writing. It preserves historical spelling — often at the cost of living sound. OOJJ, by contrast, is phonetic, modular, and inclusive. Each symbol carries one clear sound. It can be typed, searched, and shared anywhere Latin letters exist — making Yiddish not only preserved, but participatory in the modern world. Principles of OOJJ (אױך) 1. Inclusion OOJJ unites Yiddish, Hebrew, and English phonetics within a single Latin framework. It does not replace tradition; it makes tradition accessible. 2. Phonetic Clarity Every symbol corresponds to one sound. There are no silent letters, no exceptions, no guesswork. 3. Modularity Consonants and vowels combine logically through recurring modifiers — Q, X, and H — to form complete, predictable sound patterns. 4. Cultural Continuity The system preserves the essence of Yiddish: its oi, its kh, its humor, and its heart. 5. Keyboard Simplicity OOJJ uses only the standard Latin set. No diacritics, no special fonts — it can be typed anywhere. 6. Linguistic Bridge By adopting Latin characters, OOJJ connects Yiddish to global communication without erasing its Semitic depth. 7. Revival Through Use OOJJ (אױך) invites writing, not just reading. It is a living orthography for creators, learners, and speakers who want to give Yiddish a global future. --- Single Letters A “ah” Fatima B “b” boy C “s” sun D “d” dog E “e” fetch F “f” fish G “g” gone H secondary consonant — I “i” sit J “h” home K “k” kite L “l” lamp M “m” man N “n” net O “o” God P “p” play Q secondary vowel — R “r” run S “sh” shul T “t” top U “u” church V “v” van W “w” win X secondary vowel — Y “y” yes Z “z” zebra --- Combination Vowel Sounds AX “a” apple, cat AQ “ay” cake (KAQK) EQ “ee” peach IQ “i” time (TIQM), AIQ “i” light (LAIQT) OQ “oh” home UQ “oo” cool UX “uh” from OX “oy” joy OO “oi” toiruh AE “aw” ball, dawn, thought AOQ “ow” sound, loud Combination Consonant Sounds VH "th" (hard) father TH “th” (soft) thank you TS “ch” (hard ch at beginning/middle of word) child, kitchen CH "ch" (hard ch end of word) lunch TC “tz” prince, matzah ZH “zh” mirage DZH “j” judge, joy, vegetable (VEDZHTIBUL) GH "kh” (guttural ch at beginning of word) Chabad, chesed JJ “kh” (guttural ch in middle/end) Noach, bochur KC “x” box In memory of Chaim Weiss. 39 years have passed since his murder and justice has not been served.

Jewish history archive, exhibit, and educational center. Right now, a very moving exhibit on Anne Frank, with a recreation of her family's hideout in Amsterdam.

I keep YIVO on my radar and when i saw the ad for the exhibit Jews and Cannabis, I I planned to go. We got there when it opened. The exhibit was in a small gallery. It took about an hour to follow the Jews and getting high story from antiquity to now, just in time for marijuana’s curtain rising on legality in the US. Makes me proud to be a part of the tribe😀. The Russ and Daughter family story was also nice to see particularly now as women’s rights are being scrutinized. Finally, we ventured in a third gallery to view the colorful wall art. Friendly staff, not a lot of people to contend with during these covid times, and it’s free. Perfect way to spend a few morning hours before walking to the pier for an afternoon boat ride.

A treasure trove for anyone interested in Jewish history and culture. Beyond the scholarly archives for research, YIVO offers an incredible variety of public programming, much of it free and/or very affordable. Educational opportunities abound for all ages... I feel very fortunate to live in NY and take advantage of what YIVO offers!

YIVO is the greatest archive of Jewish research in the world. YIVO has worked over the past century since its days before the Shoah in Vilna to document Eastern European Jews, their lives and legacy, their culture and religion. YIVO currently is housed in the Center for Jewish History which is one of the greatest repositories on Judiasm in the world. YIVO is conveniently located in the Union Square/ Flatiron district and easily accessible by all Subway lines.

I enjoy all the exhibits at the Center for Jewish History!!! However, the CFJH should be a 1 membership organization for all the institutions housed at CFJH!!! 1 membership for 1 people!!! The CFJH should also offer sliding scale prices for those with lower incomes!!!

I registered for a course, the funds were taken from my bank, the site doesn't work and no help from their various sources. It worked in the past when I took a course years ago. I have sent off various emails and pms, left a message at their phone number, of course a recording. I will need to go through a major hassle of getting my bank to reverse the charge. This is not a donation.

A wonderful institute. Helped me a lot with my "Stolperstein" research from Germany - Berlin to a Jewess. Thank you Mister G.B.

I wanted to plan for a legacy donation. To help me understand how my possible donation could be of use, I asked them how many students attended a specific repeated course during the entire 2023 calendar year and how many people visited their calendar events during the entire 2023 calendar year. I could not get a straight answer from one of their Directors, whose salary exceeds $200K.