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.

For gezunt, zay gezunt, un kum gezunt: A Mother's Yiddish Blessing for Safe Travel

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Ghita Wolpowitz, a Litvak (Lithuanian Jew) who grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), remembers how her mother would say "for gezunt, zay gezunt un kum gezunt", before departing for a trip. Today, she still invokes her mothers blessings before she or her children set off.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Ghita Wolpowitz.

This excerpt is in English.

Other video highlights from this oral history

The Jewish Community of Bulawayo (History)

Early Memories of Bulawayo

Being the Boss' Daughter: Uncomfortable Experiences With Racial Privilege in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)

"The Derailment of the Country": Reflecting on the Political Situation in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) Growing Up

"I Feel the Richness Of This Peoplehood": Importance of My Jewish Identity

"Like Walking On Blood:" A Roots Trip to Lithuania

"Look How They Know Who I Am": Connecting With My Children Through Jewish Identity

More information about this oral history excerpt

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