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.

Studying Yiddish is like an Onion

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Professor Yechiel Szeintuch, scholar of Yiddish literature, describes how studying Yiddish is similar to peeling an onion.

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

This excerpt is in Yiddish.

Yechiel Szeintuch was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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

I may be the Gilgul (Reincarnation) of Zvi Schwartz

2 min 42 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

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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