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 Defeated Enemy Was On the Outside: Growing Up On U.S. Army Bases Post-World War Two

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Roger Mason, resident of Miami and musician, describes the experience of growing up on army bases in Japan and Germany and grappling with his identity as an "army brat."

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Roger Mason.

This excerpt is in English.

Roger Mason was born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1944.

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Other video highlights from this oral history

An American In Post-War Japan

1 min 40 sec

Mother's Ambivalent Relationship to Judaism and Roger's Subsequent Obsession with Discovering Roots and Heritage

3 min 6 sec

Early Connections and Associations with Jewish Identity

2 min 28 sec

Unconventionally Diverse Music Training and Work as a Music Teacher

2 min 48 sec

Discovering His Family's Musical Past

2 min 33 sec

How Roman Schlossberg Ended Up Playing for the British Army in Iraq

2 min 7 sec

The Importance of Forgotten Musicians for Younger Jewish Generations

4 min 6 sec

My Great-grandfather the Cantor, Aryeh Leib Schlossberg

2 min 19 sec

Jewish Musical Relatives from Eastern Europe

2 min 19 sec

Superstition and Mixed Feelings: Discovering My Jewish Musical Family Roots

2 min 14 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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