The Wexler Oral History Project

Jump to the featured clip of the week.

Not every Jewish story ends up in a book. 

The Wexler Oral History Project seeks to document, through personal stories, Jewish culture and identity across generations, with a particular focus on Yiddish language and culture.

Our new oral history project is building a dynamic library of recorded interviews on the never-ending subjects of Yiddish culture and Jewish identity in America (and other places, too). Your stories – and those of thousands of other Book Center friends – will complement our vast collection of published Yiddish literature and capture the amazing diversity and creativity of contemporary Jewish life.

We are particularly looking for people with strong connections to Yiddish language and culture. However, we also interview people from all ages and backgrounds in order to explore the broadest expression of Jewish experience. Your story can truly become part of history. Zay azoy gut, please let us know if you or someone you know would like to be interviewed.  

As you are planning your upcoming visit to the Book Center, consider packing your stories along with you!  We have appointments available now for the coming months.  Don't miss your chance to contribute your story to the archive in our state-of-the-art Karmazin Recording Studio here at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA.

• Get answers to frequently asked questions.

   

• Tell us your story! To begin, fill out the Pre-Interview Questionnaire, or contact us at tellyourstory@bikher.org.

   

• Want di gantse geshikhte the full scoop? See full interviews from the Wexler Oral History Project at www.archive.org/details/ybcvideos. 

• Learn through stories.  See highlights from the collection, and learn more about our collections of interviews on specific topics.

• See more clips from the Wexler Oral History Project.
• Sign up to receive a weekly featured clip from the project by emailing tellyourstory@bikher.org with the subject line "weekly clip"!

The Wexler Oral History Project is made possible through the generosity of Deborah & Peter Wexler of California, with additional support from Miriam Bienstock of New York, N.Y., Dan Mendelson and Jennifer Loew Mendelson of Washington, D.C., Emile Karafiol of Illinois, and the Strear Foundation of Denver, Colorado.