The 'Yiddish Voice' Podcast

Highlights: A report from the Yivo-Bard Yiddish Summer Program by student Tara Neuwirth , who has attended several times beginning in 1983. This year’s Zumer-program kicked off last week and seems off to a good start. We spoke to Tara by phone on July 10, 2024. We hope to hear more from other students and teachers from this and other Yiddish summer courses around the world. Info on the Yivo-...

Meet Itel Landau (maiden family name: Brettler), a Holocaust survivor originally from Vișeu de Sus (Felsővisó in Hungarian, אויבערווישעווע in Yiddish), a shtetl in Transylvania (prewar Romania, Hungary during WWII, now Romania), discussing her life — before, during, and after the Holocaust. Itel was born into a Hassidic family, the Brettlers, who sold manufacturing materials. In 1940, Transylvania...

This week, Yiddish poetry lovers are in for a treat: an interview with Sarah Traister Moskowitz with her reading of poems in the collection „דאָס ליד איז געבליבן“ (“The Song Remains”) along with her English translations. Sarah is the translator of the collection of poems Dos Lid is Geblibn, or The Song Remains, on the new website thesongremains.org , an anthology of Yiddish poems with...

This week we have a new interview with Marvin Zuckerman , who grew up in the Yiddish-speaking milieu of Jewish Labor Bund in Bronx, New York. He became a professor of English at a Los Angeles college and co-authored the well-regarded Yiddish primer Learning Yiddish in Easy Stages and several other books in the field of Yiddish. He translated from the Yiddish the memoir of the prominent Bundist Ber...

This week we observe Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) talking with Mike Burstyn , Miriam Trinh , Eli Sharfstein and Avremi Zaks . Mike Burstyn is a distinguished actor and singer known for his roles in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English theater and film across Israeli, American, and international stages. Recently, he starred in the German comedy drama The Zweiflers , awarded Best Series at the 7t...

This week, for Yom HaShoah, which falls this year on May 6, we present past interviews with survivors of the Holocaust in Hungary as we mark the deportation of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944, 80 years ago. After a brief intro and announcement of Boston’s 2024 community Hazkure , we hear: Mel Mermelstein ז״ל We had a short but memorable interview with Mel in 2008. Mel lived...

This week, Pesach greetings and words of wisdom from Rabbi Yitzchok-Boruch Teitelbaum , Rabbi Moshe Kesselman , and Holocaust survivor Naftali (Tuli) Deutsch , as well as greetings from many of our cohosts, friends, and sponsors, as follows: Israel Book Shop ( Eli Dovek ז״ל recorded Mar 28 2007) American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston (member and Holocaust survivor Tan...

This week, Cantor Herschel Fox , long-time chazzan at Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue in Los Angeles and veteran of the Cantorial world as well as the Yiddish stage, and even Yiddish radio. The interview is filled with stories and anecdotes covering many aspects of his life and his illustrious career, including close working relationships with such legends as Molly Picon, Cantor Dovid Koussevitzky, a...

Happy Purim !! אַ פֿריילעכן פּורים Part 1: Jokes and humor for Purim told by Libby Pollak , Sholem Beinfeld , Sheila (Sheyndl) Lieberman-Reich , Sheldon (Shulem) Londner , and Hy Wolfe . Part 2: Arele Schaechter Viswanath discusses his Google Doc “אַ בלעטל פּורים־מאַטעריאַלן”, which the פֿאָרווערטס/Forverts/Yiddish Forward described as “Lively Yiddish Purim materials for teachers...

This week, interview with Holocaust survivor Nathan Gipsman , originally from Będzin ( Bendin ), who recently celebrated his 99th birthday; Alona Bach and Sarah Biskowitz cover Farbindungen 2024 , the third annual Farbindungen Yiddish Studies Conference, taking place online from February 18 – 19th, 2024; Kolya Borodulin announces the Yiddish classes offered by Workers Circle/ Arbeter Ring , starti...

Last week, we learned the sad news that David (Dovid) Lenga has died at the age of 96. He was buried in Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 2024. Los Angeles survivor and community leader Harry Davids said of him, “David was a survivor of Dachau and Auschwitz. He frequently spoke at the museums, synagogues and schools, and his presentations were known for their oratory and inspirational style.“In...

In observance of International Holocaust Rememberance Day (Jan. 27) we’re listening to and discussing Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango , the acclaimed 2023 CD with new music and songs based on poetry and other writing by several women who are, or were, Holocaust survivors in Toronto. These songs recall their terrible and traumatic experiences during the Holocaust, including sexual abuse...

Last week, we received via Facebook the sad news that Avrohom Fuchs has died at the age of 99. He was buried in Jerusalem on Jan. 15, 2024. In his memory, we’re airing part of an interview recorded in Jerusalem on Jan. 2, 2015, and originally aired Jan. 21, 2015. Fuchs, who survived the Holocaust, including Auschwitz and Ebensee, was a scholar of the Jewish history of the Carpathian Mountain...

Highlights: Mikhl Yashinsky discusses his new Yiddish-language plan די בשׂורה לויט חיים ( The Gospel According to Chaim / Di Psure Loyt Khaim ), which is based on the true-life figure Chaim Einspruch, who translated the New Testament into Yiddish. When Einspruch tried to publish his book during the early 1940’s, he was refused by every Yiddish printer, so learned how to do his own printing a...

Highlights: Sholem Beinfeld , cohost of The Yiddish Voice and Professor of History, Emeritus, of Washington University, St. Louis, gives an analysis of Israel’s war with Hamas in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre. Hershl Hartman passed away last week, Monday, December 11, 2023, a few days after his 94th birthday. In his memory we are reairing our interview with him, discussing his work as...

Interview with Berele Messinger , an Israeli member of ZAKA who was on the scene in Kibbutz Be’eri the day after the October 7 massacre. We reached him by WhatsApp on Nov. 29, 2023. Music: Moshe Stern: A Gezang Tzu Yisroel Rina Gordon: Far Nakht In Yerusholayim (words: Zalman Shazar) Moshe Stern: Undzer Eygn Land Moshe Stern: Ver Bistu Mentsh Moyshe Oisher: Broches far Khanike Pripetshik Sin...

Highlights of this week’s show: Interview with freygl gertsovski , who founded Queer Yiddish Camp , on the upcoming cabaret fundraiser to benefit Queer Yiddish Camp taking place Sun., Dec. 3, 2023, 2 PM Eastern, on Zoom. Info and tickets online here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/radyiddish/1025964 We spoke via Whatsapp on Nov. 6, 2023. Interviews with four Holocaust survivors about Is...

‫מיר טרויערן נאָך די מער ווי 1,400 מענטשן שוידערלעך אומגעבראַכט פֿון דער טעראָר-גרופּע כאַמאַס אין ישׂראל דעם 7טן אַקטאָבער 2023. מיר זאָרגן זיך זייער וועגן די פֿאַרוווּנדעטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע האָבן אַ רפֿואה־שלמה, ווי אויך וועגן די פֿאַרכאַפּטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע צוריקקומען אַהיים בשלום.‬‬ ‫ ‫הערט אינטערוויוען מיט ישׂראלים וועגן דער טעראַר-אַטאַקע און דער איצטיקער מלחמה אין ישׂראל:‬ אלי שאַרפֿשטיין El...

‫מיר טרויערן נאָך די מער ווי 1,400 מענטשן שוידערלעך אומגעבראַכט פֿון דער טעראָר-גרופּע כאַמאַס אין ישׂראל דעם 7טן אַקטאָבער 2023. מיר זאָרגן זיך זייער וועגן די פֿאַרוווּנדעטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע האָבן אַ רפֿואה־שלמה, ווי אויך וועגן די פֿאַרכאַפּטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע צוריקקומען אַהיים בשלום.‬‬ ‫ ‫הערט אַן אינטערוויו מיט דניאל גלאי וועגן דער טעראַר-אַטאַקע און דער איצטיקער מלחמה אין ישׂראל. גלאי איז אַ קאָ...

‫מיר טרויערן נאָך די מער ווי 1,200 מענטשן שוידערלעך אומגעבראַכט פֿון דער טעראָר-גרופּע כאַמאַס אין ישׂראל דעם 7טן אַקטאָבער 2023. מיר זאָרגן זיך זייער וועגן די פֿאַרוווּנדעטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע האָבן אַ רפֿואה־שלמה, ווי אויך וועגן די פֿאַרכאַפּטע, זאָלן זיי אַלע צוריקקומען אַהיים בשלום.‬ ‫ הערט אַ קאַמענטאַר פֿונעם היסטאָריקער פּראָפֿ׳ שלום ביינפֿעלד , אַ באַריכט פֿון ישׂראל פֿונעם ייִדיש-ראַדיאָ פּר...

This week, greetings for חול המועד סוכּות ( Chol Hamoed Succos ) from friends, participants, and sponsors of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, combined with Succos Vort and two interviews, and then a great deal of music appropriate for Yom Tov days of Succos/Shemini Atseres/Simchas Torah ! אַ גוט, געבענטשט יאָר אַלע אונדזערע צוהערער אַ גוט קוויטל און אַ גמר חתימה טובֿה Highlights: Greetings fr...

This week, greetings for גמר חתימה טובֿה ( Gmar Chassima Toyve , a good final sealing) from friends, participants, and sponsors of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, combined with an excellent “Best of Succos” program from our archive (2019) with various presenters and lots of Succos music. אַ גוט, געבענטשט יאָר אַלע אונדזערע צוהערער אַ גוט קוויטל און אַ גמר חתימה טובֿה Highlights:...

This week, greetings for Rosh Hashona from friends, participants, and sponsors of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, combined with an excellent interview from our archive with Rabbi Moshe Kesselman (2022). אַ גוט, געבענטשט יאָר אַלע אונדזערע צוהערער אַ גוט קוויטל און אַ לײַכטן תּענית - גמר חתימה טובֿה Highlights: Greetings from Judy Altmann , Holocaust survivor originally from Jasina, Czechoslo...

This week, greetings for Rosh Hashona from friends, participants, and sponsors of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, combined with an exciting new interviews with Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstein as well as an encore presentation on the High Holidays by Miriam Libenson ז״ל from the archive of our predecessor show די ייִדישע שעה from 1992. אַ גוט, געבענטשט יאָר אַלע אונדזערע צוהערער לשנה טובֿה Highligh...

This week, greetings for Rosh Hashona from friends, participants, and sponsors of The Yiddish Voice / דאָס ייִדישע קול, combined with exciting new interviews with Rabbi Mordechai-Tzvi Solomon and Eli Grodko ! אַ גוט, געבענטשט יאָר אַלע אונדזערע צוהערער לשנה טובֿה Highlights: Greetings on behalf of the American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants of Greater Boston , featuring...