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.

Living in Siberia During World War II

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Michael (Mendl) Szmerling, former actor in the Melbourne amateur Yiddish theater, describes what life was like in Siberia during World War II, where he survived with his family. He tells about getting caught stealing coal and how they took apart an outhouse for fuel during the winter.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Michael (Mendl) Szmerling.

This excerpt is in English.

Michael (Mendl) Szmerling was born in Kalisz, Poland in 1936.

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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

The Soup Story: Protecting Precious Food in Siberia During World War II

1 min 38 sec

Escaping Antisemitism in Post-war Kalisz, Poland and Life in the Hoff Displaced Persons Camp

2 min 5 sec

Fond Memories of Maisons-Laffitte, A Children's Home in Post-WWII France

2 min 28 sec

Not So Undeveloped After All: First Impression of Australia

1 min 21 sec

Ideology of SKIF and the Bund

1 min 34 sec

Memories of the Yiddish Theater at Kadimah on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne

1 min 52 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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