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 British Klezmer Scene

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Merlin Shepherd, klezmer musician and instructor, talks about the revival of interest in klezmer music in the United Kingdom, especially among secular and unaffiliated Jews seeking a connection to their cultural heritage.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Merlin Shepherd.

This excerpt is in English.

Merlin Shepherd was born in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom in 1963.

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

Other video highlights from this oral history

Jewish Boyhood in Rural Wales: My Grandfather's Story

1 min 36 sec

Becoming a Clarinetist

3 min 10 sec

"My Grandparents Would Speak in Fluent Yiddish When They Didn't Want Us to Understand"

2 min 11 sec

"There Was Always a Flavor, Without Being Dogmatic": Growing Up in a Secular Jewish Home

2 min 2 sec

My Best Teachers were Recordings: Discovering Klezmer and Finding My Sound

1 min 50 sec

Playing Klezmer not "Kletzmer" in Germany

3 min 57 sec

"All Gigs Are the Same": Channeling Healing Energy Through My Music

2 min 7 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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