Our Instructors

Ruth Gerlock

Ruth Gerlock has been teaching Yiddish since 1997. She has worked with children of all ages through the Committee for Yiddish Childrens’ program, a mother and tot Yiddish pre-school program at the Barbara Frum Library, and an after-school Yiddish club program. Ruth also presented a Yiddish program through UJA PJ Library. In addition, she was a Yiddish teacher at Bialik for many years. She is currently teaching adult classes through the Committee for Yiddish as well as private Yiddish lessons.

Ruth holds a Bachelor of Education, specializing in Special Education and English as a Second Language. She is currently an elementary school teacher.

Yiddish was Ruth’s first language as she grew up in a household immersed in the love of Yiddish language and culture. She believes strongly in her mother’s motto: “Ale Yiddishe mentshn darfn redn Yiddish”.....”All Jewish people should speak Yiddish.” Ruth is a proud bubbe of two yingelekh.

Sharon Power

Sharon Power has been teaching Yiddish language and literature since 2011. She received her MA in Women's Studies from York University in 2010 and has studied Yiddish language and literature in the doctoral program in Yiddish Studies at Columbia University in New York. Her article "Yiddish Actresses and Jewish American Identiy" appeared in the Jewish Studies journal Shofar in 2012, and her English translation of Mendel Osherowitch's How People Live in Soviet Russia was published in 2020.

In addition to her translation work and teaching Yiddish language classes for the Committee for Yiddish, Sharon also runs a private Leyenkrayz for beginner and intermediate-level readers and she coordinates and teaches Yiddish language classes at Miles Nadal JCC in Toronto. Sharon's true passion is sharing her love of Yiddish and being inspired by her wonderful students.