Preventing the Loss of Jewish Traditions
Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D., Director, Jewish Language Project; Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Linguistics
In her essay for Prophecy, Dr. Bunin Benor reveals a little-known aspect of Jewish history: the dozens of unique Jewish languages that have developed across the globe and are now on the brink of extinction. Drawing on examples from communities spanning North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and beyond, she shows how these languages are far more than methods of communication. They preserve stories, values, customs, humor, and generations of lived Jewish experience. Through the work of Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Language Project, Benor argues for documenting these endangered traditions before they disappear and offers practical ways individuals and institutions can help keep them alive. At once a warning and a call to action, the essay demonstrates why preserving Jewish linguistic diversity is essential not only for honoring the past but also for strengthening Jewish identity, peoplehood, and cultural connection for the future.