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.

Theo Bikel and Mike Burstyn: Avi Hoffman Reflects on His Mentors

Watch now:

Avi Hoffman, actor, reflects on his role models who became his colleagues in Yiddish theatre. He particularly remembers going to see his very first Broadway play as a young boy and the thrill of getting to meet Mike Burstyn, one of his acting heroes.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Avi Hoffman.

This excerpt is in English.

Avi Hoffman was born in Bronx, New York in 1958.

This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

"An Entire World of Creativity": The Secular Yiddish Scene in New York in the 1960s

3 min 6 sec

Avreml: My First Starring (Yiddish) Acting Role at Age Four

2 min 2 sec

A "Modern Revolution in Yiddish Theater": The Genesis of The Show "Dos Goldene Land"

3 min 40 sec

A Personal Impression of Yiddish in Israel

2 min 22 sec

Witnessing the Beginning of the Decline of Yiddish in the 1960s

1 min 59 sec

A Core of Yiddishists in the Bronx: Secular Yiddish Culture and Jewish Tradition on Bainbridge Ave.

4 min 34 sec

"It Was Buzzing With Activity": Sholem Aleichem Folk Shul #21

2 min 20 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: