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.

Anthony Russell, Yiddish Opera Singer

Watch now:

Anthony (Mordechai Tzvi) Russell has always been a singer. Since a young age, he sang along to opera records. His journey to the Yiddish reportoire of the legendary Sidor Belarsky has been more circuitous. Learn about his artistic journey from opera to Yiddish folk song in this video.

Find out more about Anthony Russell, including his upcoming show dates.

Watch the full 90-minute interview with Anthony Russell.

Video editor: Emily Rose Felder

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Anthony Russell.

This excerpt is in English.

Anthony Russell was born in Texas in 1979.

Jump to map

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

Other video highlights from this oral history

"I Need To Become a Jew": Deciding to Convert

5 min 28 sec

Anthony Russell On The Importance of Text In His Life

1 min 30 sec

Discovering the Music of Sidor Belarsky

3 min 1 sec

It's Like Performing for Your Family: Performing for Jewish Audiences

3 min 39 sec

Anthony Russell on Learning Sidor Belarsky's Repertoire

2 min 58 sec

Yiddish Audiences Want to Interact with You: Anthony Russell on Performing in Yiddish

3 min 5 sec

Anthony Russell On Meeting Isabel Belarsky, Daughter of Singer Sidor Belarsky

2 min 47 sec

It's Strange to Everyone Else, It's Not Strange to Me: Reflections on Being a Black Jew

1 min 42 sec

A Project to Combine Yiddish Songs and African American Spirituals

2 min 31 sec

Who is the Audience for Yiddish Music?: Anthony Russell Responds

1 min 49 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: