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.

"It was Almost like the Godfather Summoning that Guy to Fix Up Sonny": Max's Elaborate Bar Mitzvah

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Max Levine, son of Yiddish speaking Holocaust survivors from Poland, describes the elaborate bar mitzvah that his parents organized for him despite the fact that they had no money.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Max Levine.

This excerpt is in English.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Father Sharing Concentration Camp Memories Over a Bottle of Vodka

2 min 27 sec

Father's Involvement in the Black Market in German DP Camp

2 min 37 sec

"Why Would You Go To Camp When You Had 2nd Street Park?": Growing Up in Brighton Beach in the 1950s

2 min 13 sec

Growing Up in NY with Survivor Parents

2 min 48 sec

Exploring Roots in Germany

3 min 2 sec

"There were Always Three Chickens in the Oven and a Brisket" The Importance of Food and Hospitality in the Home

4 min 32 sec

Eating a Bagel Mit Lox on Yom Kippur

1 min 34 sec

A Shooting at My Father's Butcher Shop

2 min 28 sec

"The Boys of 2nd Street Park," The Making Of and Max's Father's Role

5 min 11 sec

Favorite Yiddish Phrases

1 min 39 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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