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.

Every Friday My Yiddish-Speaking Grandmother Went to See a Mexican Movie

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Estela Aizenman Stern, Mexican school teacher and Yiddish enthusiast, remembers her grandmother adapting to life in Mexico despite language barriers— often went to see Spanish films with a friend from Spain.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Estela Aizenman Stern.

This excerpt is in English.

Estela Aizenman Stern was born in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Other video highlights from this oral history

Reflecting on What Yiddish Means to Her

1 min 3 sec

Spanish and Yiddish Part of Family's Mexican Identity

1 min 53 sec

How My Grandfather's Observance Kept Him Out of Hollywood

1 min 44 sec

Cajones y Abonos (Market Stalls and Installment Plans): Making a (Jewish) Living in Downtown Mexico City

1 min 5 sec

"It Was the Best Store in the World": My Father's Hat Store in the Historic Center of Mexico City

1 min 3 sec

How Yiddish Songs Penetrated My Mother-in-Law's Alzheimers

49 sec

Growing up in Mexico: Identity, Acceptance, and Patriotism

55 sec

Estela Aizenman Stern Discovers important Yiddish Books in Mexico

2 min 40 sec

"We Learned Four Languages Since Kindergarten": Languages and Zionism at the Progressive Tarbut School in Mexico City

1 min 36 sec

Jewish Food: My Grandmothers' Ashkenazi and Hungarian Culinary Traditions

1 min 16 sec

The "Deportivo" Sports Center as The Central Jewish Culture Center in Mexico City

1 min 45 sec

Why Did They Stop Teaching Yiddish? Practical Reasons

1 min 30 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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