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.

My Mother Agreed to Send Me From Poland to Yeshiva in America

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Yaakov Wasilewicz, Jewish musician, explains impact of leaving Poland to attend yeshiva in America on the relationship with his mother. Though it was hard on her, he knew she was happy for him to have a Jewish education.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Yaakov Wasilewicz.

This excerpt is in English.

Yaakov Wasilewicz was born in Czestowa in 1988.

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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

A Favorite Nign Learned at the Lauder Jewish Summer Camp in Poland

1 min 11 sec

What Makes Nigns Magic: Czestochowa Nign

4 min 37 sec

From Poland to Yeshiva in America

3 min 21 sec

Learning My First Posek At Age 15 In a Class Full of 2nd Graders

1 min 26 sec

How My Mother Grew Up in Czestochowa After World War II

1 min 59 sec

My Mother Passed Down Religion and Culture to Her Community

2 min 54 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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