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 History of Forshpil

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Sasha Lurje, singer of Yiddish music born in Riga, Latvia, recounts the history of her band Forshpil, from the time of its founding by a fiddler through the years during which Sasha and Ilya Shneyveys searched for the right musicians to join the band, to its current state.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Sasha Lurje.

This excerpt is in English.

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

Other video highlights from this oral history

Advice to Aspiring Yiddish Musicians: Show Respect for the Culture by Learning the Language

2 min 53 sec

"A Restless Language": How The Personality of the Language of Yiddish Influences Music

3 min 6 sec

Learning Yiddish with Hanan Bordin

3 min 20 sec

A Non-Linear Path to Learning Yiddish

5 min 11 sec

Pesach Fiszman Pushing Her to Speak Yiddish at Yiddish Summer Weimar

3 min 13 sec

"I've Been Doing Music All My Life": Pursuing Music Since Childhood

2 min 19 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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