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.

Spanish and Yiddish Part of Family's Mexican Identity

Watch now:

Estela Aizenman Stern, Mexican school teacher and Yiddish enthusiast, grew up in what she labels "a modern Mexican home," explaining that her family adapted well to Mexico and the language, although her mother and grandmother spoke Yiddish, and her father spoke Hungarian. At times the mixture of languages resulted in a spoken hybrid of Spanish and Yiddish.

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.

Jump to map

Other video highlights from this oral history

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

Reflecting on What Yiddish Means to Her

1 min 3 sec

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

43 sec

How My Grandfather's Observance Kept Him Out of Hollywood

1 min 44 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: