Jack Halpern

Halpern was born in 1946 in Germany. Through his early years, he moved through six different countries including France, Brazil and the United States, picking up numerous local languages. After studying astronomy at university, he began a business offering technical translation services. In 1968, while traveling, Halpern met a Japanese citizen who introduced him to kanji, beginning his lifelong interest in Chinese characters. He moved to Japan with his family in 1973, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. There, he has founded the Japan Yiddish Club, currently the only Yiddish-teaching organization in Japan. Through the club, he continues to teach Yiddish lessons at the Jewish Community Center in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Within Japan, Halpern is well known for his public appearances. In addition to having published regular columns in Japanese magazines and periodicals and having appeared on numerous variety shows, Halpern has given hundreds of public lectures on lexicography, language-learning, and other language- and culture-related topics. He was formerly a fellow at Showa Women's University.

Halpern plays the quena, a traditional Andean flute. He has played with the Japan-based Grupo Tortuguita since 2002.

Halpern is a noted polyglot with speaking ability in twelve languages: English, Japanese, Hebrew, Yiddish, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Chinese, Esperanto, Standard Arabic, Palestinian Arabic, and Vietnamese. His reading ability extends to Ladino, Papiamento, and Aramaic.