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.

I may be the Gilgul (Reincarnation) of Zvi Schwartz

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Professor Yechiel Szeintuch, scholar of Yiddish literature, tells the story of finding an article on Zvi Schwartz in a yizkor (memorial) book on the town of Drohitshen (now Drahičyn, Belarus), and explains why he thinks he is a reincarnation of Schwartz.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Yechiel Szeintuch.

This excerpt is in Yiddish.

Yechiel Szeintuch was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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

Other video highlights from this oral history

A Penchant for Practical Jokes: My Uncle's Joke at the Pesach Seder

1 min 47 sec

The Secret of Food that Tastes Like Home

2 min 37 sec

Changing Schools Every Year: Prof. Yechiel Szeintuch Reflects on his Early Education

3 min 43 sec

Professor Yechiel Szeintuch on Meeting President Shazar

5 min 55 sec

Israel's Relationship with Yiddish as Seen Through Academic Study: A History

4 min 19 sec

Studying Yiddish is like an Onion

3 min 35 sec

The State of Yiddish in Israel: Yechiel Szeintuch's Experiences with Yiddish in His Early Days in Israel

1 min 46 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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