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.

"He then took me upstairs and started playing me records!": On Hankus Netsky's Early Interest in Jewish Music

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Hankus tells of how the world of klezmer music was opened up after he contacted an estranged uncle.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Hankus Netsky.

This excerpt is in English.

Hankus Netsky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1955.

This interview is part of the Yiddish in the Academy: scholars, language instructors, and students series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

"I felt like I couldn't trust the rabbi anymore": When Hebrew Pronunciation Changed

1 min 54 sec

"Our tradition is an oral tradition": The Yiddish Book Center and ethnographic projects

2 min 32 sec

"I've gotta rebuild the house!": Drawing inspiration from Bertolt Brecht

2 min 50 sec

Jewish education in Philadelphia

3 min 33 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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