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.

"Delicious" Yiddish vs. Correct Yiddish

Watch now:

Naftali Ejdelman, founder of Yiddish Farm, explains the difference between speaking grammatically correctly and idiomatically.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Naftali Ejdelman.

This excerpt is in Yiddish.

Naftali Ejdelman was born in New York, New York in 1985.

This interview is part of the Beyond the Books: Yiddish writers and their descendants series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

My Relationship with My Zeyde (Grandfather), Yiddish Linguist Mordkhe Schaechter

2 min 31 sec

Playing Hide and Seek Among Mordkhe Schaechter's Kartotek (Card Catalog)

1 min 5 sec

My Specific Ukrainian Yiddish Accent

2 min 59 sec

Yiddish Break: A Yugntruf Program to Gather Yiddish Speakers on University Campuses for a Short Conference

1 min 33 sec

Yiddish Farm Summer Program: Ten Weeks of Immersive Yiddish—and Organic Farming

3 min 36 sec

How to Speak a "Delicious," Idiomatic Yiddish in Ten Weeks: Pedagogy and Immersion at Yiddish Farm

2 min 49 sec

'Something is Missing in the American Jewish Community": Reflections on Yiddish and Jewish Identity

3 min 19 sec

Co-Founder of Yiddish Farm Shares His Hopes for Future Generations

2 min 21 sec

For Me It Felt Natural: A Yiddish Upbringing

1 min 30 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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