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.

Father's Childhood Experiences in Poland

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Vivian Felsen, professional translator and granddaughter of Yiddish writer I. Medres, shares stories of her father's childhood experiences in Poland, including the lack of running water and plumbing and antisemitic experiences at school.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Vivian Felsen.

This excerpt is in English.

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This interview is part of the Beyond the Books: Yiddish writers and their descendants series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

My Grandfather's Book, "Montreal of Yesterday"

3 min 56 sec

Growing Up With Knowledge Of The Holocaust

5 min 25 sec

Returning to Yiddish in Adulthood And Experiences In Vilna

5 min 33 sec

Memories of My Grandfather: Yiddish Writer, Israel Medres

2 min 55 sec

The Importance of Translation

2 min 42 sec

Process of Translating Yiddish to English

3 min 54 sec

Thoughts on Yiddish to English Translation

1 min 58 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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