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.

Thinking in Yiddish while Walking

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Adah Bakalinsky - philanthropist and walking advocate - remembers how she understood Yiddish as a child but was self-conscious about speaking it. Adah then recounts how thinking in Yiddish while taking walks inspired her to improve her Yiddish.

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

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

The Evil Eye Prevented Parents from Complimenting their Children

1 min 51 sec

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

1 min 5 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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