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.
My Father and World War One
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Sara Kruzansky, teacher of Jewish history, recounts how her father, although already in the U.S., had the option to fight in the Russian Army during World War I. Father refused saying "I don't fight for the Tsar."
This is an excerpt from an oral history with Sara Kruzansky.
This excerpt is in English.
Sara Kruzansky was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1921.
This interview is part of the Yiddish in the Academy: scholars, language instructors, and students series.
Other video highlights from this oral history
My Father and World War One
1 minute 54 seconds
Childhood Shabbes
45 seconds
Values passed on by her parents
1 minute 7 seconds
Parents' political views
1 minute 14 seconds
Generational Changes Through a Family Photo
2 minutes 51 seconds
A Jewish Religious Education
1 minute 50 seconds
Religious Compromises
41 seconds
"A Language That Was Murdered": Reflections On Yiddish
51 seconds
"I felt nothing... It's a cemetery": Visiting My Mother's Home Town in Poland
5 minutes 7 seconds
Personal Meaning of Yiddish
1 minute 5 seconds
"I'm Going to Tell You A Really Good Story About That!": The Role of Yiddish in My Higher Education
2 minutes 37 seconds
Father Says a Brukhe
1 minute 3 seconds
Feelings About Yiddish
1 minute 28 secondsAbout 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?