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 Was a Hugely Dramatic Personality"

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David Mazower - BBC journalist and great-grandson of Yiddish writer Sholem Asch - describes arm-wrestling with a complete stranger and arguing with Marc Chagall - and gives a glimpse into Sholem Asch's eccentricities through his grandmother's stories.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with David Mazower.

This excerpt is in English.

David Mazower was born in London, England, United KIngdom in 1959.

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This interview is part of the Beyond the Books: Yiddish writers and their descendants series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

"Let Me Shake the Hand of History": Being the Descendant of Sholem Asch

2 min 35 sec

Sholem Asch's Work and View of Women

1 min 56 sec

Controversies Around Sholem Asch's Work

1 min 16 sec

A Family History of High European Culture

2 min 27 sec

Visiting Sholem Asch's Birthplace in Kutno, Poland

2 min 13 sec

Curating an Exhibit on Yiddish Theater in London

1 min 54 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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