The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

A trip to Russia and a goodbye to communist ideology

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Yehudi Wyner - an American composer, music educator, pianist and conductor and the son of Lazar Weiner (a Yiddish composer) - talks about his father's decision to resign from the left-wing worker's chorus Freihets Gezang Verein and to join its rival chorus - the Arbeter Ring.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Yehudi Wyner.

This excerpt is in English.

This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

A reflection on the work of Lazar Weiner's music

2 min 3 sec

In a family of musicians

2 min 7 sec

editing my father, Lazar Weiner's work

2 min 20 sec

From a shoe maker to a doll designer

2 min 15 sec

Formational Figures in the Early Life of Lazar Weiner

1 min 34 sec

Lazar Weiner and US Yiddish scene around the 1920s

3 min 38 sec

1940 New York's World Fair

1 min 9 sec

Lazar Weiner's Music "Aimed to Overcome The Ghetto Mentality"

3 min 10 sec

Sidor Belarsky, the Yiddish Frank Sinatra

2 min 32 sec

Lazar Weiner and his mentors, the Crème de la Crème of NY Music Stage

4 min 27 sec

Lazar Weiner's work in Jewish synagogue music

4 min 49 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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