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.
The Klezmer Revival
Watch now:
Christian Dawid - Berlin-based, world-renowned klezmer clarinet player - talks about the risks and benefits of cultural revivals, and why the Klezmer revival was such a success.
This is an excerpt from an oral history with Christian Dawid.
This excerpt is in English.
Christian Dawid was born in Bremen, Germany in 1968.
This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.
Other video highlights from this oral history

The Klezmer Revival
1 minute 33 seconds
Klezmer Music is Both Close and Far
1 minute 47 seconds
Yiddishland
2 minutes 20 seconds
"Tradition is what we create right now"
2 minutes 32 seconds
Being a Non-Jew in the Klezmer World
2 minutes 33 seconds
Musical Stories
1 minute 52 seconds
"Can you teach me how to sound more Jewish?"
1 minute 48 seconds
Everything Matters
1 minute 15 seconds
The Roughness of Yiddish
1 minute 36 seconds
"I'm the only one without a grandmother on stage"
1 minute 10 secondsMore information about this oral history excerpt
Themes:
Keywords:
About the Wexler Oral History Project

Since 2010, the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project has recorded more than 500 in-depth video interviews that provide a deeper understanding of the Jewish experience and the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture.
Tell Us Your Story

Do you (or someone you know) have stories to share about the importance of Yiddish language and culture in your life?