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.

My Ancestors Spoke This, Going Back Many Generations: Getting Started with Yiddish

Watch now:

Raphael (Refoyl) Finkel–professor of computer science and Yiddish speaker– describes how and why he began learning Yiddish.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Raphael (Refoyl) Finkel.

This excerpt is in Yiddish.

Raphael (Refoyl) Finkel was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951.

This interview is part of the Yiddish in the Academy: scholars, language instructors, and students series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

"Yiddish is Definitely A Part of Who I Am": Yiddish and Jewish Identity

1 min 36 sec

"Try A Bit at A Time": Advice for Starting Something Big, Such As Learning Yiddish

1 min 53 sec

Why Do We Need Yiddish Word-Level Search? Refoyl Finkel Explains

2 min 9 sec

"Thank You for a Very Jewish Experience": Bringing Home Zmires [Shabbos melodies]

1 min 4 sec

Zmires and Nigunim from My Father's Neighbor

1 min 48 sec

Refoyl Finkel on Yiddish Word Lists and Yiddish Computer Programs He's Written

6 min 17 sec

Refoyl Finkel On Yiddish Search

4 min 22 sec

How the Internet Has Changed the Yiddish World

2 min 27 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: