Initiative Mehrsprachigkeit und Interkulturalität
Stadt Wien Integration und Diversität (MA17)
 

Jewish linguistic diversity in Vienna
 

The multicultural project ‘Jewish diversity in Vienna’ focusses on the Jewish community in Vienna with main focus on the language(s). The traditions and customs of the individual Jewish minorities will also be part of the project in order to highlight their special features. Firstly, we will focus on the Juhuri (Judeo-Tat) language, which is spoken in North Azerbaijan and Dagestan by a Jewish minority called the ‘Mountain Jews’ in the Caucasus. The Yuhuri language is very similar to Persian and Tati, but also contains Hebrew terms.
Due to the emigration of the Jewish population from the Caucasus, the language is increasingly receding into the background. A series of interviews is planned with 9-12 people who speak the language and can identify with it. The dialogue and/or monologue will be recorded on video. This will be stored in the archives of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and, if agreed by the individual persons, published on the VLACH homepage and made accessible to everyone. All interviews will be transcribed and translated into English and German.
Almost 200,000 Jews lived in Vienna in 1938; today the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG) has around 8,000 members. The Caucasian, Bukharian and Georgian communities are also part of the IKG (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Vienna): there are many communities in Vienna and each has its own traditions and customs. Through the project ‘Jewish diversity in Vienna’, we will shed light on the individual communities and their languages.
With this project, we also want to counteract prejudices and anti-Semitic ideologies that have become ingrained in people's minds over generations and give them an authentic picture. The Jewish community in Vienna is very rich in culture and history.

    The project is carried out in cooperation with:

    • MA 17, Vienna
    • VLACH, Vienna

    Head of project: Azra Hodžić-Kadić
    Participant and community consultant: Sida Binjaminova