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.

The Evil Eye Prevented Parents from Complimenting their Children

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Adah Bakalinsky - philanthropist and walking advocate - recounts how her mother avoided complimenting her directly, for fear of attracting the evil eye - though she praised Adah when talking to her friends.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Adah Bakalinsky.

This excerpt is in English.

Adah Bakalinsky was born in 1923.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Thinking in Yiddish while Walking

1 min 20 sec

I Think You Feel a Connection: The Importance of Yiddish Cultural Heritage

1 min 5 sec

The Holidays Were "Like a Party" for Us Kids: Growing Up Orthodox in Saint Paul, Minnesota

2 min 57 sec

Mother Learning English, Father Reading Stories: Importance of Literature and Education in My Childhood

2 min 2 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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